Hardy Boys - 1 The Tower Treasure
by Aurora Mandeville
Summary: Frank and Joe Hardy get to work on their very first case without the help of their famous father, only for them to find out they were working on two different angles of the same case. (Components of The Tower Treasure and The House on the Cliff) (Cover image by LivingAliveCreator on Deviantart /livingalivecreator)
1. Friends in Need

Frank Hardy quickly closed his locker door. He was eager to get home. His father, Fenton Hardy, the world-renowned detective, was expected back from his latest case, and Frank and his brother Joe were itching to hear the details. The two had always wanted to follow in their father's footsteps. As such, they would listen to their father's cases with rapt attention, eager to pick up on his techniques. He quickly turned around, and paused.

"Hey Hardknock, finished with that girl book yet?" said Adam Mason with a sly smirk. His posse oohed.

"Would you tell your mother that?" said Frank, doing his best to keep his cool. Richard Mason had been a rival of Fenton Hardy's since their years in the police academy, and he passed it on to his boys. The older, dirty blond Adam naturally began to pick on Frank, while the younger, fiery-haired, and fiery-tempered, Greg would lock horns with Joe on almost a daily basis.

Adam raised his eyebrow. "What?"

"Really, Adam, you're making it sound like anything made by girls is worthless. Funny thing is, we have mothers. We wouldn't be here without them. Guess we're worthless too," said Frank with a shrug.

"That, that … that wasn't what I meant!"

A loud snort interrupted them. They glanced down the hall. There stood Joe with the Hardy's friends. Joe had his right hand clamped on his mouth, but his eyes were laughing. He used his left hand to give Frank a thumbs up.

"Trying to cause trouble again, Mr. Mason?" came Principal Stevenson's stern voice as he stepped between Frank and Adam. He placed his hands on his hips and glared at the Mason crew.

"N-no sir," stammered Adam, "we were, we were just having a little discussion before the weekend."

"I see. Well, the weekend has begun, ladies and gentlemen, I suggest you leave now and enjoy it." Principal Stevenson gave them a withering look. They all left the scene, each heading home. "Mr. Hardy, a word."

Frank winced, but he turned to Mr. Stevenson with a pleasant smile. "Yes sir?"

"I understand that it's hard for you to avoid the biting tongue of Mr. Mason, just like your brother finds it hard to avoid his brother's fists, but do you have any ideas how we can keep the four of you apart?"

Frank shrugged. "Avoiding them like the plague doesn't work, they seek us out." He paused and thought a moment. "But maybe a competition might help a bit."

"I said keep you apart, Mr. Hardy, not get you even closer together. Beesides, we've done that dozens of times already!"

"But it's helped keep us apart for a while, right?"

Principal Stevenson sighed. "That is true. Alright, I'll see if I can't come up with something that will keep the four of you apart till the end of the school year. I hope. Good day, Mr. Hardy."

"Good day, Mr. Stevenson. Have a good weekend!"

Principal Stevenson scoffed as he walked away. Frank heaved a sigh of relief as he walked towards the front of the school. He quickly joined his brother by their motorbikes.

"So, what did Mr. Stevenson have to say?" said Joe. Frank looked past Joe. Joe looked at what Frank was looking at. The Masons were nearby, watching intently. Joe glanced back at Frank and nodded.

"Well," said Chet Morton, the boys' closest friend, "I'm going to drop Tony, Phil, and Biff off at their homes." He pointed at his prize car, the yellow jalopy he lovingly called Queen, where their three friends were waiting. "Want me to drop by later?"

"And have you miss one of Aunt Trudy's homemade pies? Never," said Joe with a grin.

"Har har," said Chet with a roll of his eyes.

Frank chuckled. "How does supper sound?"

Chet grinned. "That sounds great! Mom and dad are going out tonight, and Iola's going to be at a slumber party at Callie's, so . . ."

"So, saves you some work, huh?" said Joe.

"Hey, don't make fun of cooking, it's fun," said Chet defiantly.

"Yeah, Joe, don't make fun of Chet's cooking abilities, he's miles ahead of you in that department."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," mumbled Joe as he mounted his bike.

"Want to spend the night too, Chet?" said Frank hopefully.

Chet shrugged. "I'd like too. I'll have to check with my folks and see. Farm won't keep up itself, you know."

Frank chuckled slightly. "Right. You'll let us know when you come over, right?"

"Well, yeah, I'll definitely know by then."

"Hey Chet, come on, we've got to go!" Chet glanced over, Biff was waving his dark hand at him.

"Coming!" He turned back to the Hardys. "Want me to ask if the guys want to come over?"

Frank shook his head. "Not tonight. Dad's coming home tonight, and we need to ask permission. You can ask them if they want to spend tomorrow together, and we can ask if we can have a slumber party of our own tomorrow night."

Chet nodded. "Will do. See you tonight!" He walked away with a wave.

"Bye Chet!" Joe called with a wave.

"See you tonight!" said Frank, finally climbing on his motorbike. The two started their bikes and sped off towards their home.

About halfway home, Joe shot Frank a mischievous grin and gunned his motorbike. Frank sighed, though he wasn't much of the racing type, he obliged his brother and at least attempted to race him back home. He let Joe win, of course. Frank had always been way more cautious than his fire-blooded brother. Frank smirked as he parked his bike behind Joe's, one thing's for sure, Joe was a lot easier to handle than Greg Mason. Though, that might have something to do with their rivalry, but from what some of the rumors circulating the school had said, and if they could be trusted, Greg was liable to get in a lot of trouble.

"Mom, we're home!" Joe announced as they entered the house. The two dropped their backpacks by the sofa.

"Oh hello, Frank, Joe, how was school?" asked their mother, looking up from the book she was reading. Laura Hardy was a pleasant woman with sandy blonde hair and the blue eyes that Joe had inherited. Frank noticed with a start that the book she was reading was the latest _Murder, She Wrote_ book.

"OK, he had the usual run-ins with the Masons, but Mr. Stevenson was able to keep it down to a minimum . . . mom, is that the latest _Murder, She Wrote_ book?" Joe nearly flew onto the sofa and scooted up close to Laura to read over her shoulder.

"It is Joe, but I would like to finish it before your detective minds solve it halfway through the book and spoil it for me," said their mother as she closed the book and winked.

"Aw, Mom, we won't spoil it, promise!"

"Mm-hmm," said Laura as she picked up the book. "But, as I recall you two still have some reading to do for a book report, is that right?"

Joe moaned as he slid off the sofa. "But Mom . . ."

"Don't you start, Joseph Hardy. You have homework to do, now get to it."

Joe sighed. "Yes ma'am."

Laura glanced at Frank.

Frank grinned at her as he picked up his backpack. "I'm on my way."

"Good. And please get your Aunt Trudy, she promised me she would bake a pie for tonight."

"Oh, speaking of pies, we invited Chet over," said Joe as he shouldered his backpack.

Laura nodded. "Alright."

"And we were wondering if we could have a sleepover tomorrow," said Frank.

"Get your homework done and we'll talk it over with your father when he returns."

"Yes ma'am!" chorused the two as they rushed up the stairs. Frank fetched Aunt Trudy before joining Joe in their room. They set their backpacks by the long table that served as their desk before sitting down and getting to work. Thankfully, they didn't have much, so they managed to finish within an hour. They knew their father hadn't returned yet, so they retreated into his study, which doubled as the library. Frank went and pulled out the book he had been reading for the book report, _Northanger Abbey_, before heading downstairs and settling into his favorite armchair. He quickly found where he had left off and reemerged himself in the world of Catherine Morland.

It hadn't even been a minute before he could feel Joe breathing down his neck as he tried to read over his shoulder.

Frank groaned. "Joe, will you please stop reading over my shoulder."

"What? You're not going to let me read it until you're done."

"Of course not, you're such a slow reader."

"But I want to find out what happens!"

Frank sighed. "Oh, alright, I'll read it out loud."

"Yes!" Joe plopped on the sofa, grinning from ear to ear.

Their mother came into the living room and dropped a basket of towels at Joe's feet. "Well then, you can put those hands to work and fold these towels."

"Aw, but mom!"

"Don't 'but mom' me, young man. You live in this house, you're going to do chores."

"But what about Frank?"

"What about him? He's reading a book and doing the dishes after supper."

"Oh," said Joe, drawing out the syllable.

"Be quiet, or you can do them," said Frank.

"You both be quiet, or I have a mind to call the Mortons and tell Chet he shouldn't come tonight."

"Yes ma'am," they mumbled.

"Good, now get reading, Frank. And Joe, those towels better be folded neatly. Frank, make sure he does them neatly."

They sighed. "Yes ma'am." Their mother nodded before leaving the room. Frank turned to reading _Northanger Abbey_ while Joe quickly got into a rhythmatic folding of towels. Frank glanced at his progress when he turned the page, and noticed with satisfaction that Joe was indeed folding the towels neatly. He quickly turned back to reading the book, and decided to try at using different voices for the characters, or, at least get as close as he could to how he heard them in his head. That resulted in a towel in his face.

"Hey!"

"If you ever have to get a disguise, don't ever try to be a girl. You'll be a disgrace to all womankind, because you suck."

Frank tossed the towel back at Joe, hitting him square in the chest. "Not like you're any better."

"What do you mean? I can do this." Joe started singing in a falsetto voice. Frank just about leaped out of the chair and onto Joe.

"That's the worst attempt at trying to sound like a female that I've ever heard!"

Joe scoffed. "Your attempt was worse than that." Frank grabbed a towel and whacked him with it. Joe's eyes sparkled. "Oh-ho-ho, you know this means war." He grabbed the closest pillow off the sofa and wacked Frank's arm with it.

"Hey!" Frank got off the sofa, but he took a few towels with him and began pelting Joe with them. Joe tossed back in kind.

"Oof! Hey!"

"Hey you deserved that."

"Like you deserve this?" Joe tossed a towel that hit Frank in the chest.

"You're pathetic."

"You suck." Joe balled up a towel and tossed it at Frank, who ducked. The towel sailed past him.

"Honey, I'm . . . oof!" The towel war stopped as the two slowly turned just in time to see the towel fall off their father's face, his eyebrow raised.

Frank and Joe looked at each other before pointing their fingers. "He started it!"

"You two better have those towels picked up and folded neatly in ten minutes . . ." Fenton Hardy didn't finish the sentence as the boys started rushing around, picking up towels. Fenton passed a hand over his face as he groaned. "You two have way too much energy. Laura!"

Laura came into the living room, a big smile on her face. "Hello darling," she said as she pecked his cheek. "Did those two disgraces to womankind give you a nice, big welcome?" She glanced at the boys who hung their heads, trying to keep from snickering.

Fenton glanced at her and the boys quizzically. "Huh?"

"If you had been here just a few minutes ago, you would know." She gave him a kiss. "I'll tell you later."

"Oh alright, though I can guess it was Joe who said it."

She laughed. "You're right on that." She glanced at their sons. "But, that is two strikes against you. One more, and I will call Chet and tell him not to come tonight."

"Yes ma'am."

"Two strikes already?" said Fenton as he raised his eyebrow. "Man, you two are really itching for that world record, aren't you?"

"Fenton, don't encourage them!"

"I'm not! This is one world record they don't want, trust me." He kissed Laura's cheek. "I'm going to unpack my papers. If these two want to know the particulars of this case, they had better not give you any more trouble." The boys gasped as they glanced up at their father. He glanced at them. "Sound fair to you?"

They gulped. "Yes sir."

"Good, now finish up the towels."

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

"Look forward to it." Laura and Fenton kissed before separating, Laura back into the kitchen, and Fenton up to the study.

"You think dad meant it?" whispered Joe.

"It's possible. It's chance I don't want to take," Frank whispered back.

"No kidding." They quickly finished folding the towels and picked them up before returning the laundry basket to the laundry room. Frank grabbed _Northanger Abbey_ and the two dashed up the stairs and into the study.

"Dad! Can we get a few details now? The towels are all picked up!" said Joe when they entered.

Fenton looked at them. "Really?"

"Yes!" they chorused.

"You can go check the bathrooms. They're all folded neatly," said Frank.

Fenton patted a folder as he thought for a moment. "Oh, alright. I might need your help."

Frank and Joe glanced at each other in surprise before glancing at Fenton.

"You haven't solved it yet?" said Joe incredulously.

Frank sat down in a chair facing the desk, becoming serious. "Do they have you stumped, or are they being extra cautious and sly?"

Fenton smiled warmly at his sons. They could be rambunctious, but they were quickly proving that they had the makings of excellent detectives. "Well . . ." The phone interrupted him. Fenton picked it up. "Hardy residence." His eyebrow raised as he listened to the voice on the phone. "Yes, they're here." He handed the phone to Frank. "It's Chet."

Frank took the phone. "Hey Chet, what's up?"

"You guys need to get over here ASAP! Someone just stole Queen!"


	2. A Car Chase

No sooner had Frank told their father what had happened than Fenton ordered them to go to the Morton's house. He would call the police and tell the women where they had gone. Without another word, the boys dashed down the stairs and into the garage. They quickly put on their helmets and started up the bikes. They sped towards the Morton's, hoping Chet was alright and that nothing else bad had happened. Joe reached the farmhouse first. He parked his bike and nearly threw off his helmet as Chet came dashing down the patio steps. Frank parked his bike and quickly joined them. He and Joe could tell their friend's face was lined with worry.

"Chet, what happened?" Frank asked as calmly as he could, though his heart was racing a mile a minute.

Chet wrung his hands. "Oh, why did I have to go and do something stupid like that?"

"Chet," said Joe firmly as he placed a hand on Chet's shoulder, "just tell us what happened."

"I pulled Queen out of the garage to the front porch," said Chet, indicating the path he drove from the garage, "so I could get my bags in the trunk and take off. Mom and dad had already gone by then, so I had to lock up." Frank and Joe nodded. The Mortons often pulled their cars to the front porch before doing anything else. They had forgotten to lock their front door far too often, and they had come home a couple of times to find a few homeless men wandering around. They hadn't stolen anything besides some food, but Mr. Morton hadn't wanted to take another chance. "I opened the trunk and went back into the house for my bags. I did a quick check over to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything when I heard the trunk slam shut followed by the driver's door. I rushed outside just in time to see the guy drive away. I tried to run after him, but he was off. Oh, why did I leave it unlocked!"

Joe patted Chet's shoulder reassuringly. "You didn't know there was a car thief hanging around, just waiting for you to leave your car alone for a few minutes."

"Huh?"

Frank nodded. "Joe's right. He had to have been watching you. And with as quickly as he worked, that means he's done this before."

"Oh great, Queen's been stolen by an experienced car thief! She's long gone by now!" He placed his head in his hands and moaned.

"Did you see which way he went?" asked Frank.

Chet nodded solemnly. "Towards Bayport."

Joe glanced at Frank. "But, we didn't see it when we were on our way over."

Frank shrugged. "He must have been booking it."

"But if he was booking it towards Bayport, someone would have seen him," said Joe, his excitement rising.

Frank's eyes widened. "You're right! Chet, get your things and let's get going! We'll head to the police station and file a report . . ."

"But we can keep an eye and ear out for anyone who might have seen it!" exclaimed Joe before dashing off towards his bike. Frank followed Chet into his house and grabbed one of the two bags. Chet grabbed the other and made sure the door was locked before following Frank to the bikes. They loaded the bags onto Frank's bike before Chet climbed on Joe's bike. They took off towards Bayport. They passed a few farms before reaching the outskirts of town. They slowed down to keep to the speed limit and keep an eye out for anyone who might have seen someone. Though, Joe was figuring that, since nearly everyone knew the Queen by sight, would recognize Chet and tell them something. His eyes nearly bulged when he saw a girl his standing off to the side, her fists clenched and shaking with rage.

He came to a stop in front of her, Frank slowing down behind him. "Vanessa! Are you alright?" Vanessa Bender used to be Joe's girlfriend, but the two cordially broke up. She was now going out with Greg Mason and strived to bring peace between the two families. At least Greg and Joe stopped their fights when she asked. They respected her too much not to comply.

The blonde turned to him, but her green eyes widened when she saw Chet. "Chet! That guy . . . your car . . ."

"He stole it!" blurted Chet.

"What happened?" asked Joe.

"He was driving so fast, he, he nearly ran me over!"

"Are you alright?" asked Joe.

"I'm fine, just taken by surprise, and furious. I'm late for a date with Greg!"

"Which way did he go?" asked Frank.

Vanessa pointed. "He took a right down Main Street." She looked at them. "You catch him and make sure he pays."

"If we can catch up to him now," said Frank. "Did you get a good look at him?"

Vanessa shook her head. "All I could see was that mop of red hair, it . . ." Her eyes widened. "It made me think of Greg's hair!"

"Well that should help us find him in a crowd," said Joe. "We see two guys with that shade of red hair and one's them's Greg, the other guy's our man. Don't worry, Ness, we'll get him. Even if it's not today, we will get him."

"Yeah, we have to. He's got my car!"

"And we're going to lose him if we don't get going. Thanks for everything Vanessa!" said Frank.

"No problem!" she called out, waving as the trio took the right down Main Street. They met up with a few more people who pointed them in the direction of the Queen. They finally had to stop the chase when their search took them to the highway heading north out of Bayport. They could see miles of road, but no yellow jalopy could be seen. They turned around and went back into Bayport, heading for the police station. They parked and dashed into the police station, rushing towards the chief's office.

"Chief Collig!" blurted Joe and Chet as they dashed into the office, but were stopped dead in their tracks by an odd sight. A few townsfolk were surrounding a rather miffed Greg Masson. Adam and Mr. Mason were arguing with the townsfolk while Chief Collig was trying to calm everyone down.

"You can't forget that shade of red!" blurted one man.

"But why would my son do such a thing!"

"There's no doubt it was him! No one else in Bayport has that shade of hair!"

"Besides, it was the car of Chet Morton, the close friend of the Hardy boys!" said another man.

"You saw my car?" Chet shouted. The commotion in the office paused long enough to look at the three newcomers.

"Frank! Joe! Chet! It's good to see you!" said Chief Collig, and he certainly sounded like he was glad and relieved to see them.

"How could I forget seeing it?" grumbled one man. "It ran over my vegetable display!"

Chet gasped. "Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that, Mr. Rocco! I'll help you put it back together"

Mr. Rocco shook his head. "No need, it was your car, but you weren't the one who drove it." He pointed a menacing finger at Greg. "He did!"

"So where's the Queen now?" asked Frank.

The men glanced at him in surprise. "Say what?" said Mr. Rocco.

Joe nodded. "If Greg drove it, he would have had to have stashed it somewhere." He looked at Greg. "Where did you hide it?"

"I didn't steal it." Greg's eyes flashed, but Joe could tell he was telling the truth.

"Then what were you doing near my store?" asked Mr. Rocco.

"I was on my way to date with Vanessa Bender, that's what!"

At that moment, Vanessa burst into the room. "Greg!" She rushed into his arms.

Greg's eyes softened at the sight of her. "Vanessa! I'm so sorry I didn't text you, but . . ."

She glanced at him in shock. "Then you didn't get my text?"

Greg slowly shook his head. "No."

"That jerk who stole Chet's jalopy nearly ran me over!"

Greg's eyes widened. "What?"

Frank stepped in. "Yes, we found her by the side of the road and she told us where she saw the Queen going."

Chief Collig glanced between the Hardys and the Masons. "Something tells me you have more information on this than we do. What did you boys find out?"

Frank, Joe, and Chet took turns telling what they had found out, and where the trail ended. Collig quickly sat down at his desk and picked up his phone.

"Stephanie, put out an APB on a man with fiery red hair. He stole a yellow jalopy, Chet Morton's yellow jalopy, to be exact. He was last seen heading north out of Bayport. Sounds to me like he making a quick getaway. Look for any recent crimes in the nearby vicinity that matches this guy's description."

"Yes sir," came the voice on the line before Collig hung up the phone.

Collig turned to everyone else. "Well, looks like the Hardys have done it again. They've cleared the Masons of a crime they didn't commit. Now everyone get out of my office" The group grumbled and mumbled as they walked out of the office. Greg held Vanessa close, but the two, Adam, and Mr. Mason nodded cordially at the Hardys on their way out. Collig let out a sigh. He glanced at the Hardys once everyone had cleared out. "Something tells me a crime they would have never stooped to committing."

Joe cracked a smile. "Even though we're not on good terms, Chief, you are right about that."

Collig nodded. "Good. Now, why are you still here? I thought I said everyone clear out."

"I just wanted to give you this, sir," said Frank as he pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket and placed it on Collig's desk. "It's a list of people who saw the route of the Queen. If you needed more information, you can talk to them."

Collig nodded with approval. "Thank you Frank. "Sorry about your car, Chet, but I will contact you as soon as we've heard something."

"Thanks chief. I know you'll find her soon," said Chet.

"I definitely will, unless the Hardys beat me to it," said Collig, glancing at the Hardys with a grin.

Joe and Frank grinned back. "We can try," said Frank, "but our dad needs our help on a case. So, I think we'll leave this to you."

Collig chuckled. "Good to know. Good day boys, and thanks for helping me keep the peace." He let out a breath.

The boys chuckled. "Anytime Chief," said Joe. "We'll talk to you later."

"Sounds good. You boys take care."

"We will. Bye!" The three waved at Collig as they left the office. They quickly made their way back to their bikes, climbed on, and raced towards the Hardy residence. When they got back, it was close to eight o'clock, and their parents and aunt were waiting for them in the living room.

"Goodness gracious, did you take it upon yourselves to try and catch the crook?" blurted Trudy the instant they walked into the house with Chet's bags.

"Aw, come on Aunt Trudy, we had to at least figure out where he went! This is Chet's precious car we're talking about!" blurted Joe. "We couldn't just leave him hanging!"

"Besides, it was a good thing we did. A few people were blaming the whole incident on Greg Mason, whose only fault was that he had the same shade of red hair as the guy who stole the Queen," said Frank.

Trudy huffed. "If you ask me, you should have just let the police jail that boy. He's picked on Joe often enough."

"Well then, it was a good thing we didn't ask you, Trudy," said Laura, eyeing her sister-in-law. Trudy clamped her mouth shut after that.

Fenton smiled warmly at his sons. "You've left it in the police's hands?"

Frank nodded. "We had no choice but to, the guy took Queen out of Bayport. There was no way we could have caught him."

Joe plopped on the sofa next his father. "So Dad, about that case you have."

"What about it?"

Frank's and Joe's mouths dropped open. "But, but you said you needed our help!"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," said Fenton with a mischievous sparkle in his brown eyes.

"Dad!"

Fenton chuckled. "How about you two get Chet's things set up in the guest room and then come eat. We'll talk then."

Joe groaned. "Oh, fine. Come on Chet, let's hurry!" Joe grabbed one of Chet's bags, Frank grabbed the other, and the three boys dashed up the stairs. They helped Chet get set up in the guest room before dashing back down the stairs and into the kitchen for a late dinner. Laura had heated up the boys' plates and set them on the dining room table. Fenton had his briefcase set by the table and was pulling papers out of it when they came in.

He nodded at them. "Go ahead and eat."

The boys sat down and began to eat their food eagerly. Chasing a car thief had proved to be hungry work.

"So, do you need our help with your case?" asked Frank after swallowing a bite of food.

Fenton gave a little nod. "I'm wondering if you should concentrate on finding Chet's car though."

"Well, may we invite the gang to spend the night tomorrow night?" asked Joe. "We were thinking of hanging out with them tomorrow. Maybe we can include a search for Chet's Queen in the day's activities."

Chet let out a pleased gasp. "You would? That would be swell, fellas!"

"You know," said Joe, feeling a little overconfident, "maybe we can find Chet's car and help you solve your case!"

Fenton smiled. "That would be nice, but a detective should focus on one case at a time. The clues could become muddled."

"But, Dad!"

Fenton eyed his youngest son.

"Sorry Dad," mumbled Joe.

"Isn't there something, anything small, that we could help you with?" ventured Frank.

Fenton rubbed his chin as he thought for a moment. "Well, maybe you guys can include one more thing in your list of activities tomorrow."

"Really?" blurted Joe excitedly. "We'll do it!"

Fenton chuckled. "Alright. You know that house on the cliff, the old Pollitt place?"

Chet gulped. "That old haunted place?"

Fenton chuckled. "It's not actually haunted Chet, it's just old and rundown. And it's really not that old either, it's only fifty years old."

"Stil old enough to have a ghost," mumbled Chet.

"Well, there are no reports of ghosts from the Pollitt place, just overactive imaginations," said Fenton.

"What would you like for us to do tomorrow?" asked Frank.

"Take a look around, see if there's any activity going on. You can even use looking for the Queen as a cover for your being there if anyone should ask. Which, if there are smugglers there, they definitely will ask."

Joe gasped. "Smugglers?"

"Smugglers of what?" asked Frank.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" said Chet, concern evident in his voice.

"Seems to me that they'll smuggle anything that's worth a pretty penny, rare artifacts, expensive medicine, precious jewels, and the like. Don't worry Chet, I'm asking you boy to do the least dangerous job. They'll figure out quickly I'm onto their trail if I go sneaking around."

"But not a group of teens looking for a friend's stolen car," said Frank, his eyes widening with realization.

Fenton grinned. "Exactly."

"Wait a minute," said Joe. "Isn't the Pollitt place to the north of Bayport?"

Fenton blinked. "Well yes, why?"

Chet let out a gasp. "Could one of the smugglers have stolen my car?"

Frank gasped. "And if so, then the cases would be connected!"

"Let's not jump to any conclusions, boys, these could still very well be two unrelated cases." He pointed at Frank and Joe. "And your first priority right now is finding Chet's car."

"Well, of course . . ." began Frank.

"But Dad, all we've ever done is solve cases for friends and little schoolyard mysteries. We want to get into the big cases, like you!"

"What do you mean? The vandalism of the Cohen property and the Prito property was a pretty big one," said Fenton.

"And just like with Chet's car, everyone in town was so sure that the Masons had done it," said Frank with a sigh.

"It still wasn't smuggling," said Joe with a huff.

Fenton rolled his eyes. "Joe, do you want to help or not?"

"Well, yeah!"

"Then check out the old Pollitt house tomorrow."

"Yes sir."

"Thank you. I will let you know if I need any more help on the case. Now, finish your food, contact your friends, they may spend the night tomorrow, and get to bed. You have a long day tomorrow."

"Yes sir!" The boys quickly finished their dinner while Fenton cleared the table of his papers. They contacted their friends and told them of the plans for the next day. All but a couple of them could make it. Joe thought he would never get to sleep because he was so excited. But as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was sound asleep. Frank and Chet soon followed suit.


	3. Undercover Picnic

"Thanks so much for doing this," Frank told Tony as he, Chet, and Joe climbed into the Prito van. They had taken a few minutes to unload their friends' luggage and loaded a picnic pack and a few tools Fenton suggested that they take, specifically a magnificent telescope.

Tony waved his hand. "No problem, man. Chet's been bringing us to and from school a lot. It was the least I could do." He glanced at Chet. "I do hope we can find the Queen soon."

Chet nodded as he buckled in. "I hope so too."

"Don't get your hopes up too high, though," said Joe as he buckled in. "There's still a pretty high chance we might not find it today."

"But with you two on the case, there's a high chance you will find it soon, if not today," said Chet with a confident nod of his head.

"Aw, thanks Chet, appreciate that," said Joe.

"But the only way we can do that is if we get going. Tony's let's go!" said Frank.

Tony grinned at him through the rearview mirror. "Aye aye Captain!"

Jerry Gilroy chuckled from his seat in the very front as he turned to look at Frank and Joe. "I'm your navigator today, Captain. Where's our first stop?"

Frank grinned back at him. "We're going to stop at every hiking trail north of Bayport and go from there."

"Alright then." Jerry turned to consult the map. "Looks like Gardiner Loop is first."

"Should we finish with the old Pollitt house on the cliff, or go a bit further?" asked Tony as he pulled the van out of the Hardy driveway.

"It depends on how long it takes us to get through the trails," said Frank as he pulled out his own map from his backpack.

"We could narrow them down by looking for the Queen's distinct tire marks," said Joe as he peered over Frank's shoulder.

Frank grinned sheepishly. "But, I don't know them."

"But I do!" said Chet triumphantly.

"And I've helped you with the Queen often enough that I do too," said Joe with a grin.

"Alright, then we'll drop you two off at each trail, and you look for the Queen's tire marks. If you don't see them, we'll continue on. If you do, we'll join you and spread out from there," said Frank.

"How should we split up?" asked Biff.

Frank mentally counted the boys there. There was him, Joe, Chet, Biff, Phil, Tony, Jerry, and Jack Dodd. Frank gave a slight nod of his head recalling why Slim Robinson and Pete Jones couldn't make it. The two were trying to keep up their grades to get into prestigious colleges. "Well," he said, "there are eight of us. We could split up into four groups of two and each of us could go in a different direction. Who wants to go with whom?"

"Tony!" said Phil quickly.

"Phil!" said Tony at the same time. Frank grinned. Ever since the vandalism on their houses, the two and their families had stuck together like glue, even though the Cohens were Jewish and the Pritos were Catholic.

"There's one group. Who else?"

Joe raised his hand. "I want Biff!"

Biff flashed a grin as he high-fived Joe. "I want Joe!"

Frank laughed. "Next?"

"Jack!" said Jerry.

"Jerry!" said Jack.

"Alright, guess that leaves me with Chet." Frank glanced at Chet. "Please keep up."

"Oh, it's easier for me to keep up with you than with Joe," said Chet.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Joe as Frank chuckled.

Chet wrinkled his nose. "You're too fast. You're liable to run right off a cliff if you're not careful enough."

"Hey!" blurted Joe. The others howled with laughter. The rest of the trip was full of playful banter. But as soon as Tony pulled the van over at Gardiner Loop, the mood turned serious and the boys got down to business. Joe and Chet hopped out of the van and checked the dirt for the Queen's distinct tire marks. They returned to the van with a firm shake of their heads. The Queen hadn't gone down this path. The group continued on for a while, meeting with negative results at every trailhead. They stopped at one trail to eat lunch, feeling somewhat dejected that they hadn't found a single clue to the Queen's whereabouts. Frank glanced at his watch as they ate.

"I think we'll have just enough time to look over two more trailheads before we should check out the Pollitt house and head home."

"Hmm," said Jerry as he pondered over the map and nibbled on his sandwich. "If I was to hide a bright yellow car, where would I hide it?"

"If it's even still in Bayport," mumbled Chet.

Frank nodded. "We have to keep that option in mind too. Hopefully Chief Collig's APB went out early enough that the guy wouldn't have made it to the Big Apple and he's still in the general area."

Joe nodded. "That's the only hope we have."

"Unless he has some sinister business in Bayport," said Biff before he took a bite of his sandwich.

Joe and Frank paused mid-bite and glanced at Biff, their faces grim.

Joe spoke as he swallowed his bite first. "We had thought of that, that's another reason why checking out the Pollitt place is equally as important. We're kind of hoping that the car thief was meeting someone there for a job."

"Well then," said Jerry, pointing to a large green area on the map, "Willow Grove is pretty close to the Pollitt house. It's certainly large enough, and there are very few, if any, visitors to the park this time of year."

Jack nodded. "And lots of places that are overgrown where someone could hide a car easily enough."

"That's a great place to look! And there's enough vegetation that the Queen's distinct yellow couldn't be seen!" said Chet, his spirits rising with every word.

Frank nodded. "That's definitely the most likeliest place right now. But it's a pretty large area, would we have time to cover Willow Grove, the Pollitt house, and get back home in time for dinner?"

Jack let out a breath. "Who knew that looking for a car could take so much time? Bayport's not even that big!"

"Well, Tony did have to wait for me to finish at the synagogue," said Phil. "That didn't help."

"That doesn't count, unless you didn't pray for the Lord to help us find Chet's car," said Biff.

"I have as much faith in the Lord as I do in the Hardys," said Phil with a grin.

"That makes two of us," quipped Tony.

Joe snapped his fingers. "I have an idea. We'll head out straight away to the Pollitt place and find out what we can. If we have enough time after that, we'll check out Willow Grove. If not, we check that first thing tomorrow after church."

"That sounds like a good plan, Joe," said Frank. The others nodded their consent.

Phil raised his hand. "But what should I do?"

"If you wouldn't mind getting breakfast together for us so that when we return, we can eat and head out to Willow Grove," said Frank.

Phil thought a moment then nodded. "That's doable."

"Good, so long as you don't cook like Joe," said Frank with a wink. The others laughed.

"Hey!" said Joe as he whacked Frank's shoulder.

"Oh, being a better cook than Joe isn't that hard to do," said Phil with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Don't you start either!" blurted Joe.

Biff ruffled Joe's hair. "Hey, come on man, you tease us all the time about things we can or can't do. Did you really think you were going to be able to stay out of the fun for this long?"

Joe chuckled. "Nah, should have figured. But I guess I have been spoiled by my mom, Aunt Trudy, and Chet."

Frank snorted. "Boy, have you ever."

"Yeah, that's right, neither Frank or dad cooks that much . . ."

Frank sighed. "Joe, come on. You know I can cook way better than you can."

"Yeah, you've been cooking more lately." Joe waggled his eyebrows. "Been practicing for a certain, lovely pen pal?"

Frank's face turned beet red. "Now, Joe, you promised!"

Joe's eyes lit up. "You know what, we should call her and tell her!"

"Yeah!" the others chorused.

"Joe, you know the rules. We don't talk during May due to finals, you know that."

"Aw, but she would like hearing about it!"

"We'll contact her the first day of summer break, no earlier," said Frank with finality. Joe pouted.

"Hey man, it is why Slim and Pete aren't here," said Tony.

Joe sighed. "Oh fine, but the first day of summer break, no later."

"Besides, you might have solved both mysteries by then, and you can give her all the details," said Jerry before shooting a sly grin at Frank.

"Yeah, provided there aren't any setbacks."

"Well, you can ask her for help then, right? Hasn't your dad always said she has a mind that could rival yours or his?" said Chet.

"It's why Frank likes her so much," teased Joe.

"Joe," warned Frank.

"Come on you guys, don't fight. We need to keep our heads straight if we're going to find Chet's car and for you guys to help solve your dad's case," said Jack.

"You're right Jack. Sorry Frank, it's just too easy to tease you."

"So I've noticed, but you're forgiven this time. Next time, you'll find a pillow in your face."

Joe grinned. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

"Well, I'm finished eating," announced Chet. "How about the rest of you?"

Frank, Joe, and Jerry still had their sandwiches. They quickly finished eating while the others picked up the picnic and loaded the van. Once Frank, Joe, and Jerry finished eating, they rushed into the van and wiped their hands on some wet wipes before buckling in. Tony started up the van, and the group was on their way to the Pollitt place. The trip was only a few minutes, but the boys were quiet the entire time. The banter had been fun, but with the prospect of criminals on the horizon, their imaginations ran wild with scenarios of possible encounters, though Joe's typically involved saving a pretty girl.

"We're here," came Jerry's tense announcement as Tony pulled into the driveway of the deserted house.

"It really does look like no one's been here in months," said Chet in an almost whisper.

"But, what exactly should we say if anyone comes upon us snooping?" asked Jack.

Joe shrugged. "Well, we still have the picnic pack in the back. You could tell him we had our picnic here and now we're just exploring."

"It's a good cover, but, will he buy it?" asked Biff.

Frank shrugged. "There's only one way to find out. Come on, Joe and I need to get this telescope out, and we need you to act as guards." The others nodded and quickly filed out of the van. They helped the Hardys pull out the telescope and get it set up. Once it was set up, Tony, Phil, Jerry, and Jack went to check out the house while Frank looked through the eyepiece, getting it focused. He let out a gasp.

"What? What is it?" blurted Chet.

"I see a boat out there!"

"Where?" said Joe.

"It looks to be six miles out."

"What kind of boat is it?"

"Look like a cruiser, or a cutter. Want to take a look?"

"Are you kidding?" Frank and Joe quickly switched places.

"I didn't look for the name or any numbers. Can you see any?"

"No, but I see a guy climbing down the side into a smaller boat!"

"What, really?" said Biff, straining his neck to see if he could see the boat without the aid of the telescope. All he saw out the corner of his eye were their friends returning from the house.

Frank noticed them too. "Anything?"

They shook their heads. "Both doors are locked, there's a broken window, but not large enough for anyone to fit through, much less a baby, and the place looks like it hasn't been touched in months," came Tony's report.

Joe, never taking his eye off the boat, said, "Well then, they might not be using it as a hideout, but a meeting place, if anything's evident by this boat."

"Can I take a look?" asked Biff.

"Sure," said Joe as he backed away from the telescope, "just let us know the instant you can see a name or any numbers."

"What boat?" asked Tony. Frank and Joe filled them in on what they saw through the telescope.

"Ah, I don't see anything, and the boats are moving away now," said Biff.

"Think this sighting has anything to do with your dad's case?" asked Chet.

"It's a possibility," said Joe.

"A huge possibility," said Frank.

"What is your dad's case anyway?" asked Jerry. "And why didn't you tell us over the phone?"

"Well, now's not exactly the place to talk about," began Frank, but he was interrupted by a scream. The boys glanced around as another scream came.

"Where's it coming from?" asked Jack.

"It's probably coming from the house!" blurted Joe as he dashed off towards the house. Biff, Jerry, Jack, and Phil were hot on his heels.

Frank turned to Tony and Chet. "Dismantle the telescope and get it into the van. Lock yourselves in if you have to!" He turned and quickly followed the rest of the boys around to the back of the house. They had broken a window and were filing in. Joe and Biff had already begun the search for the man who cried for help. Phil helped Frank in while Jack and Jerry took off towards the second floor. Phil and Frank went into the cellar. They went around, looking for any signs of someone having been there, but they couldn't find anything.

"Well, let's get back topside," said Frank.

"Right, the others might need our help." The two went and pushed on the door.

"It's not budging! Why isn't budging?" asked Phil when the cellar door refused to open after several attempts.

Frank glanced at him, eyes wide. "It must be locked!"

"What should we do now?" asked Phil, starting to sound a little panicked.

"What that guy did to lure us in here, call for help!"


	4. A Little Scare

Joe and Biff finished looking around the first floor and walked back to the library. They saw that Frank and Phil went into the cellar and decided to help Jack and Jerry on the second floor. The four boys looked through every room, but found no one.

"Let's check the attic, make sure no one could be hiding up there," said Joe.

"OK, but, where is it?" asked Jack.

Jerry threw up his hands. "Ugh, looks like we have to go through all the rooms again."

"Then let's make it quick," said Joe before taking off into one room. The other three dashed into other rooms.

It was a minute later that Biff hollored. "I found it!" Joe, Jack, and Jerry dashed into the room as Biff was pulling down the stairs. "You first," Biff told Joe.

Joe shot him a grin. "Well, thanks." He bounded up into the attic, followed closely by Jack, Jerry, and Biff.

Jack gasped when Joe flashed a flashlight around. "Look, footprints!" Footprints could be seen easily amidst the dust.

"Someone has been up here!" said Jerry.

"Spread out!" said Joe. "But be careful, he could still be here."

"Yeah, and he knows we're up here," said Biff as he went off towards one side of the attic. The four searched it thoroughly, but quickly found that there was no one up there, even with all the empty boxes.

"So, he's not up here," said Jerry as they rendezvoused at the top of the attic stairs.

"No, but he was," said Joe thoughtfully. "Just, where is he now?" He thought for a moment. "Well, come on, let's get downstairs and see if Frank and Phil found anything." The others nodded and followed him down into the room. "Uh, Jerry? Did you have to close the door?" said Joe.

Jerry scoffed. "I didn't close it." But when he glanced at Joe, he saw that Joe's face was grim as he approached the door.

"Uh, Joe?" asked Jack worriedly.

Joe tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. He glanced at his friends and spoke through gritted teeth. "He did know we were up there. He came and locked us in!"

"Let me go at it," said Biff, flexing his muscular arms. Joe moved out of the way as Biff walked to the far edge of the room. He took a running leap and rammed into the door. The door shuddered and there was a little cracking noise.

"Let's work on this together," said Joe. "Jack, Jerry, check the windows and see if you can get Tony and Chet's attention. Frank and Phil might be in trouble!"

"Right!" chorused the two and rushed towards the windows as Joe and Biff rammed into the door. Joe could feel the door was starting to give way.

"Ugh, we're at the back end of the house!" blurted Jerry.

"We can't see the van!"

"Two more rams should get us out though," said Biff as he and Joe primed for another ram. They rammed the door again, and the door cracked more.

"Want us to have a go at it?" asked Jerry.

"No, we got this," said Joe right before he and Biff rammed the door again. The door fell away from its hinges and the two boys stumbled into the hall.

"Yay!" cheered Jerry and Jack as they rushed out of the room after Joe and Biff.

"Great job, you two!" said Jack.

"Are you going to be alright?" said Jerry.

"I'm a little sore, but I'll be fine," said Joe as he rubbed his arm.

Biff flashed a toothy grin. "That's why you've got to train more often, Joe. Stuff like that doesn't even phase me."

Jerry whacked his chest playfully. "What do you mean? You were born like this." Biff's eyes twinkled.

"Guys, we need to check on Frank and Phil," said Joe, worry becoming evident in his voice. The others nodded and followed him down the stairs. As they neared the cellar door, they could hear shouting. They reached the cellar, and saw that it had a bar across the thick, wooden door, and a chair propped up against it.

"Good grief, this guy wasn't taking any chances," muttered Joe through gritted teeth.

"Help!"

"Frank?" called out Joe.

"Joe?"

"Hang on, we'll have you out in a jiffy!" Joe called as Biff quickly pulled back the chair. Jerry and Jack lifted the bar, and Joe opened the door. Frank and Phil just about dashed out into the room.

"A good thing you didn't try ramming this door down," said Biff grimly as he felt the cellar door, "this thing feels like it might never break."

"That's why we didn't bother trying," said Frank.

"What took you guys so long, anyhow?" asked Phil. The four tooks turns telling about being locked up.

"Wait," said Frank, "if this guy doesn't want us finding out anything here . . ."

Joe's eyes widened. "Chet and Tony!" The group dashed towards the library and quickly climbed out the window. They raced towards the van.

"Hey guys, we were getting worried. What happened?" asked Chet as he and Tony climbed out of the van to meet their panting friends.

"That jerk locked us up!" blurted Joe.

"Did you see anyone come out of the house?" asked Frank.

Chet and Tony shook their heads.

"How is that possible?" said Jerry. An evil-sounding, maniacal laugh answered him. The sound sent shivers down the boys' spines.

Chet gulped. "I-it is haunted!"

"No ghost ever had to lock anybody in a room to scare them off," said Frank matter-of-factly. Joe took off towards the back of the house. "Joe, wait!" But Joe kept on going. Frank groaned before turning to their friends. "Come on Biff, let's go make sure he doesn't hurt himself."

Biff nodded with a roll of his eyes. "On it." He took off after Joe. Frank started to follow, but was stopped.

"What about the rest of us?" asked Jerry.

"You guys lock yourselves up in the van and be ready to go. Hopefully this won't take long," said Frank. He turned and dashed off after Joe and Biff. He found them on a trail behind the house and joined them in the search. But when they didn't find anyone, or anything, Joe became livid.

"Where is that jerk?" he blurted. Another maniacal laugh answered him.

Biff shivered. "It's almost like he's watching us."

Frank's face became grim. "It's very likely. Come on, we should go. I think we've overstayed our welcome."

Joe grumbled. "I think you're right. Come on Biff, let's go."

Biff nodded with relief. "Right." The three dashed back to the van, and they were soon on their way back to Bayport.

About a couple miles away, Frank spoke up. "Tony, turn around."

"What?"

"You want to go back to that haunted house?" blurted Chet.

Frank shook his head. "To Willow Grove, we have just enough time for a quick search. Joe, Chet, I want you to take at least someone with you and look through Willow Grove. I'll stay with Tony at the van and keep an eye out on things here. Shoot me a text if you find something." The others nodded.

"Biff, want to come with me again?" said Joe.

"Sure."

"I'll go with Chet," said Jerry, raising his hand.

"So will I," said Jack.

"I'd like to stay at the van with Frank and Tony," said Phil.

Frank nodded. "Alright."

As soon as the van pulled into the parking lot at Willow grove, the boys separated and dashed off, leaving Frank, Tony, and Phil with the van.

A few minutes later, Joe sent Frank an excited message. "I found something! I've already sent a text to Chet. Make it quick!" Frank read the text out loud.

Tony gasped. "They found it?"

"I hope so," said Frank as he pocketed his cell phone. "Come on!"

Tony quickly locked the van and the three dashed off in the direction Joe and Biff had taken. They quickly came to Joe and Biff's location, a small clearing thickly surrounded by trees and bushes. Frank pursed his lips when he saw the ares. No one would have noticed the Queen here, that's for sure. Chet, Jerry, and Jack arrived on the scene a minute later.

"Did you find the Queen?" said Chet, panting.

Joe shook his head grimly. "No, but the Queen was here. Look." He pointed to some tire tracks.

"Those are the Queen's!" blurted Chet as he bent down to trace his fingers over the markings.

"Wait until you see where they go." Joe and Biff led the group on a northwestern route, following the tire tracks. Chet groaned when they saw the tracks ended at a two-lane, paved road.

Chet sighed. "He's long gone by now."

"I don't know," said Frank slowly. Everyone glanced at him.

"What do you mean by that?" said Chet.

"There's still a chance he might not have left Bayport. Chief Collig still has that APB out on him. This may be the best place to hide."

Joe snapped his fingers. "And there is still a chance he's involved with that ring of smugglers using the Pollitt place!"

Frank nodded. "Yes, but there's also still a chance that he could just be staying out here. It's true that Willow Grove isn't that far away from the Pollitt place, but it is still quite the hike."

"Yeah, but, now what?" asked Phil.

"We'll come back tomorrow as we planned," said Frank, "and see if he's come back. If we need to, we can take him on and get Chet's car back. Chet?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have pictures of the tires?"

Chet nodded vigorously. "I do, all on my phone."

"Take pictures of these tire tracks so we can show them to Chief Collig if the Queen's not back here tomorrow," said Frank. "Everyone else, let's spread out and see if we can't find some clue, anything, to this thief's identity, or maybe even where he went."

Joe nodded. "Good idea. Come on!" He led the way around the clearing as each boy took a spot and began a thorough search while Chet took picture after picture. Frank called it quits five minutes later. No one had found anything.

"All the clues must be in Queen," said Joe as they regrouped.

Frank nodded. "All the more reason to get out here tomorrow and see if we can't get Queen back." The others nodded.

"Here, here!" said Phil.

Frank glanced at his watch. "And that's all we can do now. We have to get back home."

'Good, because I'm starving," said Chet as he led the way back to the van.

"When are you not starving?" said Joe with a mischievous grin.

"When he's eating," quipped Jerry between snickers.

"Speaking of, did no one notice that Chet finished eating his lunch rather quickly today?" said Phil.

"What? I wanted to find Queen's hiding place! And now that we've found out where she was hidden, all that work has made me super hungry!" The others laughed.

Frank patted Chet's shoulder. "Well then, let's hurry it up and get back home. I'm sure Mom and Aunt Trudy will need a lot of help in the kitchen today."

"And I won't tomorrow?" said Phil.

"You just do the cooking," said Joe, "we'll clean. And you're exempt from helping today."

Phil let out a breath. "Good to know."

"Then let's hurry, I'm catching Chet's hunger pangs!" quipped Jack. The others laughed before racing back to the van. They loaded up and Tony drove as quickly as he dared back to the Hardys. The talk consisted of what had happened at the Pollitt place and what they had found at Willow Grove. Ideas were being thrown back and forth and imaginations were running wild, so wild that the group was roaring with laughter by the time they had returned to the Hardy house. Joe did manage to include their pen pal, the lovely Nancy Drew, in some of those wild scenarios, much to Frank's embarrassment. But all the humor vanished when they entered the Hardy house. Fenton, Laura, and Trudy were waiting for them in the living room with solemn faces.

"Good, you're home. Five minutes later, and I would have had to text you to meet me at the Tower Mansion," said Fenton, rising from his chair.

The boys glanced at each other, wondering what was going on.

"Dad, what's going?" asked Joe.

"Frank, Joe, come with me please." Fenton turned to their friends. "Please help my wife and my sister with the dinner preparations. We'll tell you everything when we return." The boys nodded almost as if in a daze as they parted to let Fenton through to the front door. "Frank, Joe, now."

"Um, OK," said Joe as he quickly followed his father.

Frank turned to their friends. "Let them know of our plans, please. See you later!" He quickly dashed after his brother and father. Fenton was pulling the car out. Joe was sitting in the front seat next to him. Frank practically dived into the back seat and quickly buckled up before Fenton sped away from the Hardy house.

"Can you tell us what's going on?" said Joe.

"How bad is it?" said Frank softly.

Fenton's face twisted with pain as he glanced at his eldest before letting out a sigh. "There was a robbery at the Tower Mansion."

"What?" blurted the two boys. They glanced at each other in shock. The Tower Mansion was the closest thing Bayport had to having a castle, built by Major Applegate when he moved to Bayport. The current owners, his descendants Hurd and Adelia Applegate, both in their fifties, had added another tower to the place and turned the old tower into something of a part-time museum for the stamps Hurd collected. They two had been there a few times with their friend Perry Robinson, nicknamed "Slim", as his father worked there and knew the actual times when the museum would open, erratic as they were.

"How much was stolen?" asked Frank.

Fenton shrugged. "I didn't get the details. Chief Collig was desperate that I go over there and take a look around, that he was in need of a professional opinion." Fenton pursed his lips. "Which can only mean that Hurd suspects someone that Collig doesn't have the evidence for."

"Hmm," said Frank thoughtfully. The rest of the ride was quiet. When they arrived at the Tower Mansion, there were police cars and officers everywhere, it seemed. One officer noticed them and directed them to a parking spot before leading them into the house. Slim Robinson was pacing nervously around, but stopped when he saw the newcomers.

"Frank, Joe, Mr. Hardy! I'm so glad you're here!"

Frank grabbed his shoulders. "Slim, what's wrong?"

The door to a side room slammed open and Chief Collig stepped into the living room, followed by Hurd Applegate.

"I'm telling you Chief, the thief hasn't left at all! It couldn't be anyone else but Henry Robinson!"

Joe and Frank gasped as they glanced at each other and Slim in shock. Hurd Applegate suspected Slim's father of being the thief!


	5. Slim Beginnings

"Mr. Applegate, please, there is no evidence that points specifically to Mr. Robinson being the thief," said Chief Collig. "I need more than your suspicions to arrest him."

"It's taken less than that to arrest other people," mumbled Mr. Applegate.

"And those other people you are referring to, if we are thinking of the same people, were proven to be innocent and had to suffer needlessly for a crime they didn't commit. No, Mr. Applegate, I try to follow the system."

Mr. Applegate scoffed. "Some system."

"A system that says innocent until proven guilty, not guilty until proven innocent," said Frank cooly.

"Frank," warned Mr. Hardy, but it got the attention of Mr. Applegate and Chief Collig.

"Ah, it's the Hardys! So glad you could come!" said Chief Collig. He then mouthed the word "help" before turning to Mr. Applegate as the elder gentleman spoke.

"Fine, if you won't arrest Henry, then I'll hire Fenton Hardy to take a look at the clues and have to tell you that he did!"

"I'm afraid I'm not available for hire," said Fenton, "I am currently working on a case. But I can take a quick look at the clues and tell you my professional opinion. If you require further services, you'll have to talk to my boys. They are trying to find their friend's car, but I'm sure they can handle both cases."

Joe gasped. "What? But . . ."

"We'll talk more at home, Joe," said Fenton firmly.

Joe wanted to say something else, but hearing that tone of voice from his father made him snap his mouth shut. That tone meant his father meant every word, they would talk about the case at home.

"Well," said Frank thoughtfully, "we are chasing a thief."

"A professional thief at that," said Joe.

Frank glanced at Mr. Applegate. "When did you notice that the money was gone?"

"Chief Collig already asked me that!"

"Do you want them to solve this case or not?" said Chief Collig.

Mr. Applegate sighed before motioning them to follow him. They followed him into the next room, which looked to be an office of sorts.

"Dad!" cried out Slim as he rushed towards his father who was sitting in an armchair with a policeman standing next to him.

Henry shot his son a weak smile. "What's up, Slim? Did you have a question on your homework?"

Slim pursed his lips. "Yeah, how could anyone suspect a man they know is innocent of committing a crime?"

Henry's eyes narrowed. "Slim, save that question for another time."

"Yes sir," said Slim, but there was still fire raging in his eyes.

Hurd scoffed. "Like father like son. Chief, I don't want these two in here. If you're not going to arrest him, then get him off my property."

"But . . ." began Slim. He paused when his father laid a gentle, but trembling hand on his son's shoulder.

"Let it go, Slim, let it go." He turned and GLanced firmly at Hurd. "I guess I shall leave now. I'll be back in the morning for my things."

"Think you'll tell your special friends, the Hardys, how you came by that nine hundred dollars?" spat out Hurd.

Henry glanced between him and the Hardys. "As I told you and the sheriff, I am not at liberty to say. I wish I did have the liberty, otherwise, this whole thing could have gone differently."

Hurd let out a huff. "Fine, get out."

"Henry, Hurd, what in the world is going on?" Adelia Applegate showed up in the doorway, completely bewildered. She was wearing her handmade skirt that looked like a quilt. Adelia made it herself so she could have lots of pockets. She never really liked purses.

Collig cleared his throat. "Your brother suspects Henry here of robbing him."

"What?" Adelia just about shrieked, causing her brother to wince. "You'd suspect the one man who's taken care of our yard and helped you run that stamp museum these past ten years? That's extremely low of you, Hurd Applegate."

Frank let out a gasp. "Mr. Robinson, when did you deposit that money?"

Henry blinked. "Uh, this morning, when the bank opened."

"Can the teller verify that?"

Henry nodded. "Jasmine Hooper always takes care of me."

Frank turned to Hurd. "You were telling us when the money was stolen?"

Hurd seemed to be shooting daggers, but he answered cordially, mostly. "It had to have happened sometime between two and four o'clock. I had come in around one to eat my lunch. Then, just before two, I came back out here to help Henry run the museum until we closed at four. When I came into the office to pick up the money we earned, the safe was open and everything was gone."

Joe gasped and snapped his fingers. "Then there was no way Mr. Robinson could have stolen anything!"

Collig shot Hurd an 'I-told-you-so' look before turning back to the Hardys. "But now comes the million-dollar question, who did commit the theft?"

Joe glanced between Hurd and Henry. "Do you remember who came into the museum between two and four o'clock?"

Hurd crossed his arms. "What do you take me to be, a camera?"

"Hurd, really," said Adelia. "Let the Hardys and Chief Collig do their jobs. You want the treasure back, don't you?"

Hurd let out a huff. He seemed to relax a bit, but he still eyed Henry with doubt. "Fine, we mostly had a few families come in." He nodded at Henry. "I let Henry take care of those, I'm . . . I'm not particularly good with kids like Henry is." He paused and thought a moment. "There were also a few single folks meandering around."

"That one fellow took a long time in the bathroom," said Henry, his eyes widening with every word. He glanced at Collig and the Hardys. "He went into the bathroom at around two-thirty and didn't come out until three o'clock, right when I was just going to check on him too!"

Collig quickly wrote down the information. "Why were neither of you able to check up on him before three?"

"We were both giving tours," said Hurd, "Henry finished first, went to check up on him, and basically let the thief walk out of here with my treasure." Frank and Joe glanced at each other. So that was why Hurd suspected Henry, he was the last one to see the thief!

"Do you remember what this guy looked like?" asked Joe, hoping to hear about fiery red hair.

"Not too well, though I do recall that he had an odd haircut, making him look older, I think, even though his face didn't make him look that old." Henry shrugged. "I guess some fellows gray earlier than others."

Frank crossed his arms and Joe restrained himself from stamping his feet in frustration. Both were hoping it was the Queen's thief. But if he hadn't come here, where had he gone with the Queen? And who in fact stole from the Tower Mansion?

"Is there anything else either of you can remember about him?" asked Fenton. "Any detail you remember, no matter how odd or crazy it may seem, could help them catch him faster."

"He had shifty eyes," mumbled Hurd. "Should have warned me, I suppose."

"So, do you still suspect Henry Robinson?" asked Adelia.

The look on Hurd's face seemed to say it all. Adelia humphed.

Henry sighed. "I'll leave now . . ."

"Yes, go enjoy your vacation," said Adelia with a wave of her hand. Hurd's mouth dropped open. "What? He's as much in my employ as in yours. You may fire him, but I will not." She turned back to Henry. "I will give you a paid vacation . . ."

"Adelia!"

"I'll do what I want with my money, Hurd, and my trust. Henry shall have both." She humphed again before taking both of Henry's hands into hers. "Don't worry about a thing. Between the Hardys and Chief Collig, I'm sure they'll have the treasure back in no time."

Henry's eyes moistened. "How, how can I ever thank you, Miss Adelia?"

"You can thank me by using your vacation time to finish drawing up those plans for the greenhouse. Tower Mansion shall have two attractions yet."

Henry chuckled. "I will, thank you." He nodded at the others. "Good night gentlemen, and good luck."

Collig grinned. "Thanks Henry, and a good night to you and your boy."

Slim nodded. "Good night, Chief, Miss Adelia. Good night Mr. Hardy, Frank, Joe."

"Good night Slim," said Joe.

"We'll call you when we get home," said Frank. Slim nodded before following his father out. Adelia walked with them.

Hurd grumbled. "Maybe having the Hardys working on this is a bad idea, seeing as they're such special friends with the Robinsons." Joe puffed out his cheeks in an attempt to calm himself down and do something he would regret. Frank, on the other hand, though he could always control his emotions, his eyes still flashed with anger as he turned to face Hurd.

"Why don't you give us a chance, Mr. Applegate," said Frank cooly, "before jumping to conclusions?"

Hurd glanced at Fenton. "Are you sure I can't hire you for a little while? I know these are your sons, but you're the one with the experience, not them."

"My answer is still the same, Mr. Applegate, I am unavailable for hire, but my boys are available. Unless, that is, you'd rather Richard Mason and his boys?"

Chief Collig let out a sigh as Hurd replied with, "I already did, I called them first in fact. Apparently they're on a case and aren't available either." Hurd glanced at Frank and Joe. "Guess I'm stuck with you then."

"You won't be disappointed, I promise you, just give them some time."

"May we have a list of everything that was in the safe?" asked Frank.

"I'm going to need that list too," said Collig. Hurd sighed and gave them the list. There were jewelry, rare stamps, some cash, legal documents, and a few heirlooms. They asked Hurd a few more questions about how he found the safe, when, and if there was anything else he could remember about the lead suspect. When they were finished, the boys dashed outside and used the waning sunlight to see if they could find any clues on the property near where the visitors would park, but came up empty. Joe was focused on looking for the Queen's tire marks, just in case, but so many vehicles had come through, any sign of them were lost. Frank was focused on anything the thief might have dropped, some clue to his identity, but all he found was a few pieces of litter. He picked them up and threw them away before joining his father and brother at their car. By that time, they were the only ones left, all the police had gone.

"Did you find anything?" their father asked as he pulled out of the driveway.

The boys shook their heads grimly.

"Now what?" asked Joe.

"You're going to have to wait," said Fenton. "If he did pawn off that jewelry, he did so before the pawn shops closed, and you'll have to wait until Monday before they reopen." Joe sighed.

"Well then," said Frank, "we'll concentrate on the Queen tomorrow and then check out the pawn shops after school on Monday."

"Yeah, after school," said Joe with a sigh.

Fenton nodded. "Sounds like a good plan."

Joe moaned. "Solving mysteries in the summer will be so much easier." He turned around in his seat and glanced at Frank. "Shouldn't we tell Nancy?"

Frank blushed at the name but shook his head firmly. "We're not going to call when finals is just around the corner, you know that Joe. Besides, we already agreed on calling her on the first day of summer break. Be patient."

Joe rolled his eyes. "Patience isn't my strongest virtue."

"I know, why don't you work on making it one."

Joe grumbled as he turned back around in his seat, but not another word was said the rest of the way home. The boys mulled over both mysteries in their heads, looking for something, anything, the could give them a break, or a connection between the two cases, if there was one.

Almost as soon as the three walked into the door, they were pelted with questions, everyone itching to know what had happened. It didn't take long before the whole story was out over dinner. There was a moment of shocked silence before everyone starting talking at once.

"Slim's dad definitely didn't do it!" blurted Jack.

"How could Mr. Applegate think he did?" said Laura at the same time.

"Of all the nerve!" blurted Trudy.

"If only it was the guy who stole Queen, this would have been a lot easier!" said Chet.

"Good thing Miss Adelia got Mr. Robinson covered," said Tony. "I would have recommended he talk to my dad about work."

"And there's room at my house if they needed a place to stay," said Phil.

Fenton held up his hands, commanding silence. "Thank you all for rallying behind the Robinsons, I'm sure they will appreciate the support. But I think the best way to help them right now is to help Frank and Joe in any way possible to solve this mystery. How about it?"

The boys chorused their consent.

Fenton smiled. "Thank you. Knowing that you have their backs puts my mind at ease."

"But what about your back?" said Joe.

Fenton smiled reassuringly. "I'll have Sam Radley and Jack Wayne with me."

Joe crossed his arms. "That doesn't exactly ease my mind, but, I guess it'll have to do."

Frank gasped. "Joe! Sam and Jack have had Dad's back for years! They're the best guys for the job!"

Fenton chuckled. "I'm glad at least one of my sons has such faith in my two closest friends." He glanced at Joe. "But I will cut a deal with you, as soon as you have solved one of your mysteries, I might have an assignment for you."

Joe gasped as his eyes and his smile widened. "Really?"

Fenton held up his hand. "I can't guarantee anything at this point, but I can try to find you something you can do to help on my case." His eyes twinkled. "Provided you two can solve your mysteries before I solve mine."

Frank and Joe grinned. "You're on."

Trudy rolled her eyes. "Oh brother."

Laura chuckled as she rose from the table. "Well, now that that's settled, who's supposed to be helping clean up the kitchen? Chet, Phil, Tony, and Jack are exempt." She glanced at her sons. "And no, you and your father are not exempt for having to rush out and leave us with all the cooking, even for such a noble practice as bringing justice."

Fenton grinned at her. "Don't worry, dear, I'll wrangle these boys into getting your kitchen in tip top shape."

Laura eyed him. "You'd better."

Fenton chuckled. "I will. Come on Frank, Joe, Biff, Jerry, let's get this kitchen cleaned up."

The four boys moaned as they rose from the table. "Yes sir." The five quickly got in there and cleaned it up. Laura was pleased, and impressed. Once they got her seal of approval, the boys dashed into the room Frank and Joe shared to talk about the plans for the next day.

"So, what should we do if the Queen is there tomorrow?" asked Chet once the boys were finally situated in the room. The majority of them were sitting on the floor.

"Call the police," said Frank. Joe got up and went into the adjacent room. The previous owners of the house had been planning to make the room into a bathroom, but hadn't finished it when they left, so the boys turned it into a miniature science lab of sorts. Joe picked up a box and set it by the door.

"What is that for?" asked Biff.

"Supplies," said Joe as he opened it to show them a box of plastic gloves, a fingerprint kit, slides for microscope samples, two magnifying glasses, and plastic bags. "You can't be too careful when dealing with evidence."

Frank nodded. "That's right. Do we have any extra magnifying glasses?"

"Hmm, I don't know," said Joe as he went back into the lab. Frank got up and followed him in. The two rummaged around and found two more magnifying glasses. They added them to the box and reclosed it before rejoining their friends.

"Even if the Queen isn't there, we should still look for clues," said Frank. "Maybe we overlooked something."

"What about Slim's case?" asked Jack.

"We're going to have to wait until Monday to check the pawn shops." Frank glanced between the group. "Should we split up again?"

They nodded.

Jack raised his hand. "Should we ask if Slim and Pete want to join us?"

Frank nodded. "Provided that they don't have much homework to handle Monday." He pulled out his phone. "I'll text them now and give them a heads up. They can let us know on Monday." He pocketed his phone once the text was sent. "Now, we should look up the pawn shops in town and go from there."

The group took out what laptops they had and searched for the pawn shops, taking down notes as they went. When Fenton came in some time later to send them off to bed, they had the beginnings of a plan with a complete list of the pawn shops. They went to bed readily, and exhausted. The next two days looked to be equally as busy.


	6. A Clue or Two

As soon as the Hardys and their friends returned from church Sunday morning, they quickly changed out of their Sunday best, ate the breakfast Phil had made, helped clean the kitchen, and jumped right back into Tony's van to head back to Willow Grove. There was a tense, nervous, and excited silence on the ride up to Willow Grove. Would Chet's car be there? Would they find any clues on this search? Would they catch the culprit? Would they find out if the thief had any connections to whatever was going on at the Pollitt place? Joe sat in the far back and kept fiddling around with the objects in the box.

Chet finally got frustrated. "Ugh, Joe! Will you stop tampering with the equipment? It's driving me up a wall!"

Joe slowly grinned. "Even though Tony's the one driving you up the road?"

There was a slight pause before everyone burst out laughing, the tension starting to evaporate.

"Good one Joe," said Biff, raising his hand. The two high-fived.

"Well, now that he's officially broken the silence," said Jerry, "can we know the plan of action, Captain?"

Frank blinked. "Um . . ."

Chet, who was sitting next to him, grabbed his arm and began shaking him. "Please tell me you have a plan!"

"Whoa, Chet, cut it out, will you? A guy can't think when his brains are being shaken and stirred!"

Chet let go and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

Frank rubbed his arm. "Thank you. As for the plan of action, well, that's going to depend on if Chet's car is there or not. If it is, we call the police immediately before looking for clues."

"And if it's not?" asked Jack.

Frank shrugged. "Well, the only thing we can do, look for clues. Then we call the police and let them know we found the Queen's last known location in the past twenty-four hours."

"Aren't we going to check out the Pollitt place too?" asked Joe.

Frank turned to glance at Joe with wide eyes. "Joe! Dad didn't ask us to!"

Joe rolled his eyes. "I know, but we have to be sure it's not in connection to our cases, right?"

Frank let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. He knew what his brother wanted, even though he had a good point. Leave it to Joe to find the loopholes. "Fine, yes, we'll check out the Pollitt place too."

Joe grinned, a grin Frank knew to mean he won. But Frank was hoping that everything with Queen would keep them busy long enough to either forget about the Pollitt place, or not have enough time to check it out.

"Well," said Biff, "if we are going to check out the Pollitt place, shouldn't we do that before the police come swarming Willow Grove?"

Frank grimaced slightly. Well, there went that plan. "You do have a point Biff. But we're going to have to make it quick at the Pollitt place, we don't want to lose any vital clues concerning Queen."

The others nodded solemnly.

"So, then, what's the plan for the Pollitt place?" asked Phil.

Frank rubbed his chin as he thought for a moment. "I think we should split up in groups of two each, two take the cellar, two take the main floor, two take the second floor and the attic, and two check the area around the house. The two who take the main floor will make sure no one gets locked up."

Joe raised his arm. "Biff and I will take the area around the house."

Phil raised his hand. "I'll do either the main floor or the second floor. I'm not going to get stuck in the cellar again."

Frank nodded. "Same here. But I want to take a look in the attic, so I'll go to the second floor with someone."

"I'll take the main floor with Phil," said Chet.

"I'll go with you, Frank," said Tony.

Jack and Jerry glanced at each other before groaning. "We're stuck with the cellar, aren't we?"

Joe shrugged. "Hey, someone has to do it."

Jerry sighed. "Yeah, might as well be us."

Jack glanced at Chet and Phil. "You'd better not let us get locked up."

Phil grinned sheepishly. "Oh don't worry. I wouldn't want that for anyone."

"Provided that Joe and Biff don't let anyone into the house," quipped Chet.

"Oh, thanks you guys," said Joe.

"Hey, you were the one who volunteered to take care of the perimeter," said Chet with a slight grin.

Frank chuckled. "He is right, you know."

Joe rolled his eyes and threw up his hands. "Fine, whatever."

The others laughed.

Chet glanced at his watch. "Alright, next question, how long should we be at the Pollitt place?"

"Ten minutes should do," said Frank, "unless we find something. But we'll make those changes when we get to that point. The major focus today is Queen's whereabouts."

Chet nodded vigorously. "Yes."

Phil spoke up. "Shouldn't we have some sort of signal to warn us of danger or to let the others know we've found something?"

"Usually shouting at the top of our lungs, 'WE'VE FOUND SOMETHING!' usually works," said Joe.

Biff winced as he pulled his fingers out of his ears. "But you didn't have to shout that loud now."

Joe shrugged. "Hey, needed to get some practice in."

Frank scoffed. "With those lungs of yours, I don't think you need any practice." Joe grinned. Frank turned to Phil. "But you do bring up a good point. What signals could we use?"

"How about an owl's hoot?" asked Chet before hooting like an owl.

"That could work as one signal, we need another."

"How about a regular whistle?" asked Biff before putting his fingers into his mouth and releasing a sharp whistle.

Joe rubbed his ears. "Now who's the one being too loud?" Biff shot him a grin.

"OK then, you whistle if there's someone outside, or danger's on the way, and an owl hoot to mean we've found something. How's that?" The others agreed.

"Good, because we're here," announced Tony.

The van pulled into the driveway of the Pollitt place. The boys piled out and split up into their groups, each heading to their assignment. Frank and Tony found the attic fairly quickly, and noticed with alarm that the place had been swept.

"Someone's been in here very recently," whispered Frank as he quickly pulled out his phone and snapped a few pictures.

Tony chuckled nervously. "Guess they figured nothing told the police there was someone up here like covering one's tracks with a good sweeping of the place."

Frank chuckled nervously. "Right? It certainly keeps us from getting the footprints."

"Right? So, um, what now?"

"Let's check for any hidden passages, false walls, or trapdoors. There's got to be another way they get in here than using our home-made entrance."

"What if it's not up here?"

"The only other place it could be is in the cellar."

"And Jack and Jerry are down there."

Frank sighed. "Right, I know, which means they might not notice it. But we're here, we can at least check the attic."

Tony nodded. "Right." The two searched the attic in silence, checking each section of the wall. A moment later, Tony called out for Frank. Frank rushed to his friend's side.

"What did you find?"

Tony pointed, there was a trapdoor nestled away in the corner, tucked away behind some boxes. Frank opened the door to see a set of stairs.

Frank excitedly patted Tony's back. "Great work, Tony! Let's see where they go." Frank turned on the flashlight on his phone and lead the way down the stairs. They ended at a wall. Frank found a button and pushed it. The two walked into a closet in the room across from where the attic ladder was.

"Wowee!" said Tony. "This really seems like a haunted house now! There are secret passages!"

"And we've only found one, so far," said Frank as he closed the closet wall. He looked around the closet before simply pulling on the closet rod. The back wall swung open. "Oh, so that's how it opens up." He took a few pictures before closing the wall again. He turned to Tony as he pocketed his phone. "Well, I think we've done all we can up here. Let's see if anyone else has had any luck."

"Good, the faster we get out of this house, the better. It gives me the creeps."

Frank shot him a grin. "But I thought you weren't afraid of ghosts."

Tony scoffed. "Are you kidding? I think I'd feel safer knowing there was a ghost here than a criminal lurking in the shadows."

Frank chuckled nervously. "You have a point there."

"Hey, shouldn't we close the ladder to the attic?" asked Tony, pointing at the room as they passed it.

"Oh, you're right." The two dashed into the room and closed the attic door before dashing down the stairs. They met up with Phil and Chet.

"Did you find anything?" asked Tony.

"No, but the look on Frank's face tells me you did," said Chet.

Frank grinned. "You know me way too well."

"You and Joe both, now, spill it." Frank and Tony took turns telling them about the hidden staircase as Frank pulled out his phone to show them the pictures. Phil's and Chet's mouths dropped.

"No way!" said Phil.

"Man, you Hardys are just magnets for clues!" blurted Chet.

"No I'm not, Tony found them," Frank insisted.

"OK, being near you," said Chet with a shrug.

"Joe didn't find that yesterday," pointed out Phil.

"He was concentrating on those footprints they found, not a trapdoor. And I wish they thought of taking pictures."

"Hey, they couldn't have known that those footprints would get swept up," said Tony with a shrug.

Frank sighed. "True that."

Chet glanced at his watch. "Well, our ten minutes are just about up. THink we should call up Jack and Jerry and meet up with Joe and Biff outside?"

Frank nodded. "Yes, we need to get to Willow Grove as soon as possible." The four dashed to the cellar. "Jack, Jerry?" Frank called. The two boys came out of the cellar.

"Yeah?"

"Did you find anything?"

Jack shook his head grimly. "No, nothing."

"I don't think there would be any secret passages down there," quipped Jerry as he pulled his collar close. "If there's anything I've learned from you Hardys about secret passages, we should have felt a draft. It would have been nice because it was pretty chilly down there, and with such a warm day as it is today, we should have had a bit of warm air down there."

Frank wrinkled his nose. "Eh, I don't think so. If it's so far below ground, it wouldn't get that hot."

Jerry shrugged. "Well, we certainly didn't feel any air drafts, that's for sure."

"Hey, you guys hear that?" whispered Phil.

"What?" asked Jack.

"No, sh, I thought I heard something too," said Frank. Everyone went still as they thought they heard an owl hooting from somewhere. Frank smacked his forehead. "Of course, the signal! Joe and Biff found something!"

"Come on then!" said Tony as he led the group towards the broken window and out of the house. They ran pell mell towards the owl hoots. They found them some feet away from the house at a shed. Joe and Biff were waving their arms at them, Joe beaming.

"Look at what we've found!" he said with a grin.

"Great!" said Jack.

"Why is it so out of sight from the road?" asked Tony.

"That's a good question," said Frank. "Maybe because they're hiding it on purpose."

"Maybe because it's hiding something," said Joe with a twinkle in his eyes.

Chet glanced at his watch. "Yeah, but, did you find anything?"

"Well, yeah, there's a trapdoor!" blurted Joe.

"Really?" said Jack and Jerry.

"Where does it go?" asked Frank.

"Out to the cliffs," replied Biff. "There's a place where you could moor a couple of boats."

Frank nodded. "Good, we can come back in the _Napoli _later."

"What? Why?" asked Joe.

"Time's up, we have to get to Willow Grove. Besides, these secret tunnels aren't going anywhere."

Joe sighed. "Oh, fine."

"What's the matter? Don't want to find Queen?" asked Chet, looking a little hurt.

"No! That's not it!"

"It's just that Joe is super stubborn, narrow-sighted, and super insistent on helping Dad on one of his cases," said Frank. He glanced at his younger brother. "But, if we can solve Chet's mystery and Slim's, we can help Dad, remember?"

"Right, then let's go save Queen!"

Chet cheered. "That's more like it! Let's go!" The group dashed back to the van and were one their way to Willow Grove. Frank showed Joe, Biff, Jack, and Jerry the pictures of the attic. The four were practically furious that the footprints were swept away, but they did laugh at Tony's observation. He was right. Nothing said 'there's someone staying here' quite like a swept floor. But the boys were ecstatic at having found something else that might help Fenton on his case. Now, they just needed a clue to help them crack the two they had.

Once Tony parked the van, the group practically dived out of the van and raced towards the clearing, Joe and Biff in the lead. Frank and Phil had grabbed the box of supplies and ended up in the back of the group. They reached the clearing, and were nearly run down by everyone else.

"Hey! What's the idea?" blurted Phil as the others had to stop. Chet walked into the clearing and let out a whoop.

"It's the Queen! She's alright!"

"Yes!" cheered the others as they rushed forward.

"Wait! We still have to look for clues!" shouted Frank as Joe dashed to him to open the box. They took out the box of gloves first and handed a pair to each boy. Once gloves were on, each person was given an assignment.

"I'll look for fingerprints," said Joe as he took the fingerprint kit.

"Good, Jack, Jerry, head to the road and see if you can find any clues there." Frank handed them a magnifying glass.

"Right," they chorused before taking off.

"Chet, call the police and make sure that nothing's been tampered on the Queen."

"On it!" Chet pulled out his phone and placed the call.

"Biff, I need you to check for footprints and tire tracks, especially if there might be any leading towards the Pollitt place," said Frank as he handed a magnifying glass to Biff.

"On it."

"I'll go with you," said Tony, and the two dashed off.

"What will we do?" asked Phil.

"We're going to check the clearing itself for any clues," replied Frank as he handed Phil a magnifying glass and took one for himself. He took out a few plastic bags as well. "If you find anything, put it in one of these, and keep each piece of evidence separate."

Phil nodded. "Got it." The two split up from there, Frank going to one side of the clearing, and Phil to the other and began their search. Chet had finished his call by then and was checking over the Queen while Joe continued to look for fingerprints. There were a few minutes of overall silence besides the continuous rustling of branches by Frank and Phil before it was interrupted by a yelp from Joe.

"Frank!"

Frank dropped everything and dashed to the car. His eyes widened as his eyes fell on the thing Joe was holding. It was a fiery red wig.

"Um, guys?" said Phil as he rejoined them. He saw the wig in Joe's hand. "Wait, you found one too?"

"Wait, what?"

Phil held up a plastic bag. In it was a wig that looked like greying hair cut in an odd hairstyle.


	7. Change of Plans

Jack and Jerry returned to the clearing, bringing a couple of police cars and Chief Collig with them. By then, Frank and Joe had dusted for fingerprints on both wigs, took a strand of hair from both for analyzing, and took photos of the tags on the inside. Chief Collig was mighty proud of their work, but was a bit upset they didn't tell him at the Tower Mansion. He did forgive them quickly as the Tower Mansion did make them forget about it, and hadn't compared photos of the tire tracks. The Hardys gave them all the evidence they had found so far, and wanted to help look for more.

"I don't know, boys," said Collig, "you've done a mighty fine job already. I think you've found everything you could."

"But we still don't know the identity of the thief," said Joe.

"And we need to confirm that this was the wig worn by the thief when he robbed Mr. Applegate," said Frank.

"Oh that's easy enough," said Collig as he took the plastic bag the wig was in, "I can show them today and ask them myself. I'll call you with their answers."

"But shouldn't we come with you? It is our case, after all," said Frank.

Collig thought about it for a moment. "That is true. Alright, come on."

"But what about us?" asked Chet.

"You fellows can go ahead and head home once my officers are finished asking questions," said Collig. "I'll take the Hardys home."

"See you guys later!" said Joe with a wave of his hand before jumping in to the police car.

"Please make sure everything is returned to the box!" said Frank before following his brother into the car. Chief Collig pulled out onto the highway and drove towards the Tower Mansion. Frank took a moment and texted his father real quick, telling him where they were going and why.

"So, what are you boys going to do if neither man recognizes this wig?" asked Collig.

Joe shrugged. "Start back at square one, I guess. But I have a hunch this is a vital clue."

Frank nodded as he put his phone back in his pocket. "I do too."

"And if this is from the culprit?"

"Well, guess we're going to have to check out the costume stores as well as the pawn shops," said Joe with a grin as he glanced at Frank.

"Yup, which means we're going to have to change up the plan." He let out a breath. "Man, I didn't expect to find clues this quickly. Dad often says it could take days before finding a vital clue. These, these almost seem to have landed in our laps."

Joe's eyes narrowed as he rubbed his chin. "You have a point there. What if . . ." He paused and gasped as his eyes widened. "What if this is just a ruse? A distraction to keep the police off their tails!"

Collig glanced at him through the rearview mirror questioningly. "What do you mean by that? And keep us from finding out what?"

"Whatever illegal activity is going on at the Pollitt place!"

"But your dad's on that case," said Collig, his eyes back on the road. "We'll drop whatever we're doing to help him, you know that. Besides, the Coast Guard is still available. If it is a distraction, it's not a very well-thought out one."

Frank sighed. "You're right, Chief."

Joe snapped his fingers in frustration. "Go figure."

"Hey, it's alright, you guys are still learning. It's like learning how to swim, you're going to have to start out at the short end before diving into the deep end. You guys still have years to go, anyhow. It took your dad years to get to this level. But I will agree on one thing, finding all of this evidence was too easy."

"But not easy enough," said Joe. "I didn't lift any fingerprints. He may have left us Queen and the wigs, but he didn't leave us anything else."

Frank shrugged. "So we're back to where we started, pawn shops and costume shops."

"How about you let us handle the pawn shops, the sooner we find that jewelry, the better," said Collig.

"That would be great, thanks," said Frank.

"And we'll handle the costume shops. There's only, what, four, five in town?"

Frank grinned. "Yeah, but we've only done business with Mr. French. Guess we'd better take one of the other shops."

Joe grinned. "That's fine by me, but I'm sure Mr. French wouldn't mind if we asked him who he's sold wigs to recently. It's not like he would want to be intentionally involved in a crime."

"Still would be a good idea to check out there other shops for once. Get used to talking to people we don't know."

Collig grinned at them through the rearview mirror. "You two really are shaping up to be good detectives. Though I can see more of Joe being in the police force than Frank."

"Yeah, Frank would be the forensics guy," said Joe with a wink.

Frank chuckled nervously. "I don't know, I'm not that into science."

"Well, what are you more into?"

"More like who?" said Joe with a teasing grin. He yelped when Frank whacked across the back.

"Why do you have to bring this up at the worst times possible? We're in the middle of a case!"

"Oh hey! You didn't deny it!" Joe burst out laughing as Frank's face turned beet red.

"That's not the point!"

"Frank's right, Joe, you need to stay focused on the case. You can tell me about this mystery girl Frank has a huge crush on later."

"Oh, alright," said Joe, his eyes twinkling.

"But seriously, this is one mystery I could never figure out. What is it with you and finding any chance you can take to tease me about my crush?"

"What? I want the whole world to know my brother found an awesome girl!"

"Wait, do you have a crush on her?"

Joe scoffed. "What? Nah, she's definitely your girl." He drummed his fingers on his chin. "But I do wonder what her exercise routine is like. She has to stay fit to save you all the time."

Frank squawked. "She is not going to have to save me all the time!"

Collig laughed. "Frank's right, Joe. Aren't you the one who usually runs into situations and need the saving?"

"Hey!" blurted Joe as Frank grinned at Collig with appreciation.

"Well, enough of that for now. It's time to switch back to detective mode," said Collig. He was pulling up to Tower Mansion. The boys did switch back into detective mode as Collig turned off the engine. The three got out of the police car and walked quickly to the front door. Collig rang the doorbell. It was opened by Hurd Applegate.

"Oh, hello Chief, found something? Like my treasure, I hope?"

Collig shook his head. "Not the treasure, unfortunately, but the Hardys may have found a clue, and we need you to verify."

Hurd's eyebrow raised. "Verify what?"

"May we come in?" asked Collig.

"Oh, right, of course. Come on in." Hurd opened the door further and let the three in. He led them to the living room where Adelia was working on sewing a quilt.

Joe walked up to her. "Hi Miss Adelia, this quilt look great!"

Adelia smiled at him. "Why thank you Joe! This is just one of many I hope to have done by the time autumn returns."

"Who's it for?" asked Frank as he fingered the fabric. It was really soft.

"I know you two can keep a secret, but I want to keep this under wraps for now." Adelia winked.

Joe and Frank grinned. "Fair enough."

"So, what did you find?" asked Hurd.

Collig produced the bag with the wig. "Do you recognise this?"

Hurd's mouth dropped. "That guy was wearing a wig?"

"I'll take that as a yes," said Collig. He nodded at the boys. "They found it near where their friend's car was hidden. The thief used it as a getaway car, and simply left it. He probably figured that since Chet's car is so recognizable, he'd better leave it here so he could get away with the treasure." The boys nodded. This was good reasoning.

Hurd glanced at the boys. "You fellows found your friend's car, and this wig was near it?"

The boys nodded. "Yes sir," said Frank.

"No treasure?"

Joe shook his head. "The wigs and the car was all the thief left. He didn't even leave any fingerprints. This guy was pretty thorough."

"But we are going to be checking the pawn shops first thing tomorrow morning," said Collig. "If we do find anything in our search tomorrow, we'll be sure to let you know."

"What about the wig?" asked Hurd.

Collig nodded at the boys. "They and their friends are going to tackle that angle. We figured that the police should get on checking the pawn shops immediately so as to not lose any time."

Hurd nodded appreciatively. "That's good to hear." He glanced at Adelia and let out a breath. "I suppose an apology to Henry is in order."

Adelia nodded. "That would be a good place to start."

Hurd held out his hand to the chief and the boys. "I want to thank you for getting this far. I'm sure your teamwork will find my treasure in no time."

Joe smiled. "We hope so too, Mr. Applegate."

"It might be a while, though," said Frank as he shook hands with Mr. Applegate. "It does seem like we are dealing with a professional thief."

"Well, I'm confident that the best men are on the job."

"Thank you sir," chorused Collig and the Hardys.

"Well, I should let you enjoy the rest of your Sunday. We'll call you if we find anything on our end."

"Sounds wonderful. Have a wonderful day, Mr. Applegate, Miss Applegate."

"Goodbye chief, boys! Have a blessed week!" said Adelia as she waved to them.

"Thanks Miss Applegate! The same to you!" chorused the boys as they waved back to her. The three walked out to the chief's car, climbed in, and took off towards the Hardy residence. The three chatted mostly about plans for the next day and when Chief Collig could contact the boys.

The boys thanked Collig for the ride as he pulled into the Hardy driveway and said goodbye before he drove away. The boys dashed into the house.

"Mr. Applegate recognized the wig! Mr. Robinson is clear!" said Joe with a whoop.

"So we're on the track of just one thief!" said Frank. They paused. Everyone was looking at them somberly, though they did seem excited by the news.

"Well, that's good to hear," said Laura.

Fenton rose from the chair he was sitting in and walked towards the stairs. "Frank, Joe, a word in my office, please."

"Um, now?" asked Joe.

"Yes, now." Fenton led the boys up the stairs and into the study. "Close the door please." Frank closed the door. The two boys sat in chairs opposite of the desk while Fenton sat behind it. "So, you went back to the Pollitt place . . ."

"But dad, we had to!" blurted Joe.

Fenton gave him a look that silenced him. "You went back to the Pollitt place without my permission, and after I specifically told you not to work any further on my case until after yours was solved." Frank raised his hand. Fenton sighed. "Yes, Frank?"

"We really did have to. You know we have to make sure our cases aren't connected. Besides, the culprit could have been staying there, Willow Grove is close enough to the Pollitt place. We did find evidence that someone's there. The floor in the attic was all swept!"

"But you knew it was tied specifically to my case. Did you find any evidence that your thief might have been there?"

"Um, no, but . . ."

Fenton raised his hand. "Until you can prove without a doubt that your thief was there, I don't want you anywhere near the Pollitt place again, are we clear?"

"Yes sir," chorused the boys.

"Thank you. Consider this your first warning, we get to warning number three, I'm taking you off the Tower Mansion case as well." The boys glanced at their father in surprise, but were wise enough to hold their tongues. They mutely nodded. "Good, I'm glad we understand each other. Now, go visit with your friends. They're going to have to leave immediately after supper."

"Yes sir." The boys rose from their chairs and walked out of the study. But instead of heading downstairs, Joe grabbed Frank's arm and practically dragged him into their room.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Keep it down!" hissed Joe.

Frank groaned. "Joe, Dad, has a point. We weren't supposed to go back, you know that."

Joe threw up his hands. "Great, you're taking his side now!"

"Joe, that's not what I meant. You're just not thinking this through."

"Oh yeah? Well tell me what I missed."

"If the smugglers' attention is on Dad, we can surprise them by coming in the back side with tackling our thief."

Joe raised his eyebrow and rubbed his chin.

"Think about it. Finding the thief of Tower Mansion might be the back door Dad needs to put a stop to these smugglers. If the cases are connected, that is. If they're not, well, Dad wouldn't want to get our hopes up."

"And if they're not, then we'd have at least a little more experience and can help Dad better."

"Exactly."

Joe let out a sigh. "Well, you have a point. Alright, fine, I'm not mad anymore. And we'll focus on catching that thief." He grinned. "You know me too well."

Frank chuckled. "Yeah, well, there are days I wish I didn't know you so well."

"Hey!" Joe picked up a shirt and tossed at Frank, who was grinning widely.

A knock came at the door. Frank, being the closest, opened it. Their friends peered into the room with concerned faces.

"What did your dad want to talk about?" asked Chet.

Frank waved in their friends, and once everyone was situated in the room, the boys told the entire story.

Biff winced. "Oh man, sorry guys, I shouldn't have said anything."

Frank shook his head. "You're fine, Biff, we knew better, and we still went ahead and looked at the place again."

"I shouldn't have even suggested it," said Joe.

"Hey, what's done is done," said Tony.

"Besides, Frank and Tony did find that secret passage," pointed out Jerry.

"Tony did, but, yeah. Oh, we didn't tell Dad!"

"I think we should let him cool down before we do," said Joe.

Frank nodded. "I think you're right."

"So, since the police are going to check out the pawn shops instead of us, and we're checking out just the costume shops instead, well, how are we going to split that up?" asked Jack.

"Oh, speaking of, I'd better text Slim and Pete about the change in plans," said Frank as he pulled out his phone.

"I'll get started on looking up the addresses for the costume shops," said Joe. They spent the rest of the time until supper formulating a game plan for the next day. After helping clean up the kitchen after supper, Frank and Joe helped their friends load their luggage and said goodbye. They watched their friends leave before heading up into their little lab and studied what few clues they had under the microscope. Frank finally convinced Joe to call it a night around ten. The two crawled into bed, but they stayed up for a while, their minds refusing to shut down and going over every clue they had found so far. They finally fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.

*Author's Note: A great many thanks to everyone who's been reading this so far! I'm so glad you're enjoying it! I have to go on a hiatus for a little while, I have a deadline coming up on other stories and I need to focus on those. I should be back mid-June. Thanks again!*


	8. The Clue of the Wigs

Frank and Joe could not wait until school was over. The two would find themselves often glancing at the clock, impatiently waiting for the clock to reach three. They'd get a few texts from their friends, which didn't help with the waiting, and quickly replied before glancing at the clock again. They were surprised when, on their way out of the school, they ran into the Masons, but neither Adam nor Greg antagonized them. Greg even offered a cordial nod before the two walked towards their family vehicle and left the school. The Hardys' friends surrounded them.

"Did you see that?" asked Chet excitedly. "The Masons seem to like you!"

"Well it makes sense," said Tony, "Frank and Joe did stand up for them at the police station."

"Just proves what we've known all along," said Phil proudly, "you're a couple of the greatest guys in the world."

Frank and Joe grinned. "Thanks Phil."

"It also proves that the Masons aren't that bad either," said Frank.

"Maybe they'll be friends with all of us?" asked Jack.

Biff shrugged. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see. I think that rivalry between Mr. Mason and Mr. Hardy goes pretty deep."

Joe nodded. "Oh, definitely."

At that moment, the last two members of their group, Slim and Pete, joined them.

"Hey guys, what did we miss?" asked Pete. The others quickly filled them in on the lack of confrontation between the Hardys and the Masons. Their mouths dropped in shock. "Well, I know Mr. Stevenson will be quite happy with that news."

"I'm happy with that news," said Slim. "You guys have been at each other's throats since they got here, practically!"

"Ain't that the truth," said Pete. He turned to Frank and Joe. "Looks like getting on the Masons' good side and finding Chet's car have worked for you. What's our next move?"

"Wait, didn't Frank text you about the costume stores?" said Jerry.

"He did," replied Pete, "but we still need to know which costume stores each group is taking, and what exactly we're supposed to say."

"Let's head over to Chet's car and we'll explain," said Frank. While they walked, he and Joe laid out the plan. There were in fact seven stores they had to check out, they sheepishly admitted that they forgot about the boutiques, but they had that figured out. Each duo would take one shop, the two shops left were situated between the other five. Three groups would converge on one while the other two groups would converge on the second before everyone would head to the Hardy residence.

"Chet's definitely going to be taking care of one of these two stores," said Joe. He had pulled out his phone and was showing them the coordinates on the GPS. "He's going to be the ride."

"Meanwhile, Tony's got the Prito van and will be taking care of himself and the other five guys for these," said Frank, pointing out the rest of the locations.

"We also decided that I'll go with Chet and Frank goes with Tony. Chief Collig wants to be in contact with us in case they find anything, and he wants us to contact him as soon as we've found something," explained Joe. The others nodded.

"That being said, who's going with Joe and Chet, and who's coming with Tony and me?"

"You and Tony!" blurted Pete and Slim at the same time.

"Joe and Chet!" said Biff a second later. Jack and Jerry also decided on going with Frank and Tony, leaving Phil to go with Chet, Joe, and Biff.

Frank glanced at his watch. "Alright, this shouldn't take too long. I'm hoping that we'll be at our house by four-thirty at the latest."

"Good, I have to keep up with this homework," said Slim.

"So do I."

"I know," said Frank. "Everybody still have the pictures of the wigs?" Everyone pulled out their phones and showed him the text he sent with the pictures of the wigs. "Good, let's get going." They separated and went to their assigned vehicles. While they were travelling to their first destination, Frank and Joe gave them a rundown of what they needed to say and what to look for. They were to be contacted immediately if they were given any information or if they found something. Tony dropped off Jack and Jerry and Frank and Pete at their destinations before he and Slim went on to their destination, while Chet dropped off Joe and Biff before heading on to his and Phil's.

"Ah, hello Joe, Biff! How are you two doing today?" said the man at the register.

Joe shot him a smile. "We're doing alright, thanks Mr. French."

"So, what can I do for you? You don't come by to see me without some reason behind it."

Joe chuckled. "You're right about that, Mr. French. Frank and I are on a case right now, and we could really use your help."

Mr. French glanced around the store. "Frank eh? Where is he?"

"Oh, we called in the fellows to help. We're checking all the stores that sell wigs."

"Ah, I see. Now I'm intrigued. Wigs?"

Joe grinned as he pulled out his phone and pulled up the photos to show Mr. French. "Have you sold wigs like this to anyone in the past week?"

Mr. French took the phone and zoomed in on the photos. "Huh, no, I have not sold any wigs like this. As a matter of fact, I don't sell any wigs like this, and I highly doubt anyone in town would. These are rather high-quality wigs." He handed the phone to Joe. "Where did you find them?"

Joe and Biff took turns telling the story of Queen's theft and how they got her back for Chet.

Mr. French thought for a moment. "Are you boys sure he didn't come to Bayport from the Big Apple?"

"We're not sure, actually, he just showed up and stole Chet's car. He has no idea which direction he came from," replied Joe.

Mr. French tapped on the phone. "Well, based on what I'm seeing in these photos, they look like they should be from New York City. There are a few high-quality wig makers there, but they usually only do commissions."

"Well, that does make sense," said Biff, "this guy did steal from the Applegates, and you guys have said he's a professional thief, only makes sense that he would have stolen from someone in the Big Apple."

"Wait, you think the guy who wore these wigs is the thief of the Tower Mansion?"

"Oh he is," said Joe, "Mr. Applegate recognized the grey wig as being worn by the perp the day he stole from them."

Mr. French nodded. "I see."

"But, are you sure no one in town would carry these?" said Joe.

"I'm positive," said Mr. French firmly.

Joe huffed. "Great, well there goes this clue."

"Haven't you looked for the tags?"

"Oh we did, just the care instructions."

Mr. French chuckled. "Oh no, the name of the manufacturer wouldn't be on the tags. These are commissioned, which means that they would have hidden the name somewhere inside the lining."

Joe's and Biff's mouths dropped. "Really?" asked Joe excitedly.

Mr. French nodded. "Oh yes, most don't do it anymore nowadays, but if it is a rather particular designer who doesn't want his work stolen, he'd hide his name in the lining. Sometimes it's just the manufacturer who doesn't want cheap copies made, but usually it's independent wig makers."

"Wowee, thanks a lot Mr. French! You've been really helpful!"

"Any time boys, good luck catching that thief!"

"Thanks!" Biff and Joe waved to him before dashing out of the store.

"Biff, text Chet and tell him to get his behind over here. I'll text Frank and tell what Mr. French just told us!"

"You got it!" Biff quickly typed out the text and sent it off. When he glanced back at Joe, there was a concerned look on his face. "Hey, what's up Joe? We just got some great info!"

Joe glanced at him. "Yeah, but, the Big Apple is Dad's territory. Will he even let us look into it?"

Biff smirked. "You forget who's your brother. He can talk either one of you into doing something. All of us, for that matter."

Joe grinned. "That's true, Frank can find the right thing to say to convince him."

"Then you'd better send him that text," said Biff, nodding at the unsent message, "so he can figure out what to say."

"Right." Joe quickly finished typing out what Mr. French had told them and sent it off.

About twenty minutes later, all the boys were situated in Frank and Joe's room. Frank had walked into the lab and closed the door to talk to Chief Collig.

"Good thing you sent that text when you did, Joe," said Pete, "we were just being told that Mr. French was the guy to see on these kinds of wigs."

Jerry was looking at the pictures on his phone. "So were we, but, how can they tell?"

Jack shrugged. "Well, it's their job. They must have been taught to look for certain things to tell them the quality of a wig."

Slim nodded. "That's the most likeliest scenario."

"Well, not only that, but there are wigs that look like real hair and wigs that, well, don't," said Biff. The others chuckled.

"True that," said Phil.

"That's also because some wigs are made from real hair, genius," said Tony as he threw a pillow at Biff.

"And what makes you an expert on the subject?" asked Jerry teasingly.

Tony grinned. "Because my sisters donate some of their hair to be made into wigs."

"Oh," the others chorused.

The door to the lab opened and Frank came back into the room. "Thanks Chief, we'll let you know what we find." Frank ended the call and glanced at the group. "Still nothing from the pawn shops. And Chief says its OK to look in the lining, so long as we use gloves and don't tear it up too much."

Joe nodded as he rose from the floor. "Sounds fine by me."

"But that would need only the two of you . . ." said Jerry slowly.

"Then the rest of us can work on our homework," said Pete.

They groaned.

"No, come on fellows," said Slim, rising from the floor, "if we can get our homework done quickly enough, we can help the Hardys take care of anything else."

"Like their homework?" said Biff, looking specifically at Joe.

"Hey!"

Pete snickered. "More like, take over looking at the wigs so they can get it done."

"Oh no, we'll have that done in no time," said Joe matter-of-factly.

"Then we'll take care of our own homework," said Frank.

Joe rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we will." The two disappeared into the lab while the others got to work on homework. It was only a few minutes later that a couple of whoops got the group racing into the lab.

"What did you find?" exclaimed Chet.

"The maker's name and address!" blurted Joe with a jump.

"Both wigs were made by the same guy," said Frank.

Joe then got glum. "But, he's in New York City, as Mr. French suspected," said Joe.

"And, obviously we can't go."

"Can't you get your parents permission?" asked Slim.

"Right before finals week, are you kidding?" said Frank.

"Besides, we don't know how long it would take us, Dad would know the streets of the Big Apple better than we do."

Frank glanced at his watch and sighed. "Which is why we have to wait for him to get home."

"Too bad Chief Collig couldn't send one of his men," said Slim with a sigh.

Frank thought a moment. "Well, he could, he just wouldn't have the jurisdiction to arrest anybody. Besides, Dad still would know the streets better than any of Collig's men. Speaking of, I'd better take a picture of these and send it to him." Frank took a few photos and sent them to Collig. "Alright, guess we'll just have to wait."

Joe groaned. "Homework then?"

"Homework." The boys got back to their homework and were finishing up when they heard a car pulling into the driveway.

Joe peeked out the window. "It's Dad!"

"You guys wait here, we'll talk to him," said Frank before he and Joe bounded out of the room. They reached the bottom of the stairs as Fenton came in.

"Dad!"

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this warm welcome?" asked Fenton, though his eyes were twinkling.

"The wigs are from New York City!"

Fenton blinked then indicated up the stairs. "Let's go in my office." The boys followed up. As soon as the door was closed, Fenton nodded. "Alright, tell me what you've got."

The boys told him everything, even including that Collig and his men hadn't found anything at the pawn shops.

"So, New York City, huh?"

The boys nodded.

"You know we can't let you go this close to finals, right?"

They sighed. "We know Dad," said Frank, "which is why we were wondering if you could go, if that's not too much trouble, or if one of Collig's men could go."

Fenton shook his head. "It would be best if I went. I have a lead in my case that takes me to New York anyway, so, I can check out your clue while I'm there."

"Really? Thanks Dad!"

"What about the Pollitt place?" asked Frank cautiously.

Fenton glanced between them before answering, "Use the telescope to watch the house when you can. Do not, I repeat, do not ever step foot on the property unless you have my explicit permission. Willow Grove is the only place you can go back to that's close to the Pollitt place, since it is in connection to your case. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir," chorused the boys.

"Good. Your mother and your aunt are picking up some pizza for tonight, your friends are more than welcome to join us. And tell Phil they are getting a pork-free pizza if he wants to join us."

"OK," said Joe.

"One last thing, I may be looking up this clue for you, but that doesn't mean you should stop looking for clues. You never know when you might find something else that might be extremely important in helping us find this thief."

"Right," they said.

"Good, be sure to have the address of the maker on my desk by tomorrow morning, I leave here at eight."

"I'll get that for you right now," said Frank. The two dashed off to their room. Joe told them about the news while Frank copied down the address and raced back to his father's study to give it to him. When he got back to his own room, the others were asking Joe for future plans. They came to decide that another visit to Willow Grove was in store, and that a few people needed to keep an eye on the Pollitt place from the Hardy's residence. They had something of a plan figured out when the women returned with dinner. Their friends stayed until eight, finalizing their plans, before they had to head home. Frank and Joe finished their homework and went to bed, excited that they were getting somewhere, and hoped to find more clues at Willow Grove.

(Thank you so much for being so patient! I really appreciate it! I'm going to try and post this more regularly, but, seeing as how I like working on multiple projects at once, that doesn't seem very likely, but I'll try. Hope you like it!)


	9. Back to Willow Grove

Frank and Joe got up early the next morning, only to find that their father had already left for New York City. Their mother explained that he had left long before she had even gotten up. Recalling past times when their father did that before, they knew their mother was worried over that fact and didn't say another word on it, though their mother did promise to keep an ear out for when their father called. He usually only called the home phone when he was on cases.

Having to be satisfied with this turn of events, the boys got ready for school and set out, brainstorming on how to find more clues and keep a constant eye on the Pollitt place. When they got to school, they found that their friends were waiting for them with the same questions. They walked with them to their lockers.

"When should we head back to Willow Grove to look for more clues?" asked Jack.

"Willow Grove is close enough to the Pollitt place that we could check up on it from time to time," suggested Jerry.

Frank shook his head. "Dad said to use the telescope and watch from our house, remember? It would be less likely that we would be seen."

Biff spoke up. "Well, since I know what that boat looks like, I volunteer to keep an eye on it while you look for clues."

Pete nudged Slim. "I think we should do that as well so we can keep up with our homework."

Slim bobbed his head. "I agree."

Joe grinned. "You guys are the best."

"Hey, we're the largest group of Watsons to aid you two, Mr. Sherlock and Mr. Holmes," said Tony with a grin. The others laughed.

"Yeah, you do know that Sherlock has his own little army of informants, though, right?" said Frank.

"Yeah, but they're not as well known as Watson," returned Tony. "Heck, I don't even remember the name of the leader of the group!"

"Sherlock Holmes was the leader of the Baker Street Irregulars," said Frank.

"Oh, right," said Tony, grinning sheepishly, while the others laughed.

"You of all people should know not to say that you don't remember anything about the lore of Sherlock Holmes," said Joe between chuckles.

Tony shrugged. "Hey, if Frank here can rattle it off faster than I can look it up, then I might as well use it. Thanks, kinda needed that for my test." The others groaned.

"Come on Tony, you can do better than that," said Phil, trying to tackle him.

"What? I'm not as big into literature as Frank is!" The bell rang, and the boys yelped, realizing the time.

"Meet us at lunch!" called out Frank as Slim and Pete took off. The others took a little longer to get going, but they made it to their first class, just barely. A few of them got glares from their homeroom teachers, but nothing was said and the day continued on. At lunch, the group gathered around a table and continued their conversation while they ate.

"I think we need to get back to Willow Grove immediately after school is over," said Frank. "We don't know how many other clues are still there, and we need to find them as soon as possible."

"But you said last night that you needed to set up the telescope, which was why we were supposed to meet you at your place later this afternoon," said Slim.

Frank smacked his forehead. "Oh man, you're right! I, for some reason, keep thinking that the telescope was set up last night!"

"And I know for a fact that we didn't do that," said Joe. He glanced at Frank. "Unless you did it without telling me."

Frank shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Well then, the only reason is that you were thinking of a certain . . ." Frank clamped his hand over Joe's mouth.

"Don't even start."

Joe pushed Frank's hand off. "I didn't even say anything!"

"You don't have to, I know you too well."

Joe grinned. "Yeah, so well, that I don't even have to say her name to get you blushing." Frank groaned while the others chuckled.

"Listen, Joe, I . . . oh!"

"And apparently thinking about her does clear your head," mumbled Joe.

Frank shot him a glare, but didn't speak about it. "I kept wondering why Dad left so early. He told us last night that he was leaving at eight this morning!"

"Hey, you're right!" said Joe. "Did he find out that he had to leave earlier than planned in order to catch his opportunity, or something?"

"Wait, what?" blurted Jerry.

"Can you guys leave your dad's case alone for more than five minutes," said Chet. "He did tell you that you weren't going to solve any of it until your cases were solved.

Frank and Joe glanced at each other.

"I'm beginning to suspect that they truly are connected," said Frank.

"And that our mysteries and this trip to New York City was just a ruse to distract him, and us," said Joe.

Frank shot a glance at his watch. "So, we'll be heading to our house first, set up the telescope, and take a look at the Pollitt place before we head out to Willow Grove. If they're planning on doing anything, it's going to be during Dad's absence."

"Besides," said Joe, "we did promise Dad to keep an eye on the Pollitt place from our house. We can't help but think of it."

"Well, I have the truck today, so they'll know we're coming," said Tony.

Biff's eyes widened. "I have an idea!" The others looked at him expectantly. "Since we're going to the Hardys first, why don't you leave the truck there and use my car? It's definitely quieter than your truck, and even quieter than the Queen."

Chet groaned. "I know, I know, I'm still working on that."

"But at least it's quieter than my truck." Tony grinned at Biff. "That's a great idea, let's do it."

"Great!" was all Biff could say before the bell rang. The boys leapt into action and dashed off towards their class amidst shouts of "see you later!"

Later, once school was over, the boys met up where the Hardys parked their motorcycles. Slim and Pete hadn't arrived yet, though.

"I wonder what's taking those two so long," said Chet, bouncing his leg impatiently. "They're riding with me."

"Probably something to do with school," said Joe with a shrug. "Let's give them a few minutes."

Frank began putting on his helmet. "Meanwhile, the rest of us can start heading over to our house. We'll have the telescope up by the time you get there with Slim and Pete."

"Hey guys!"

Chet let out a breath. "Oh good, there they are. Where have you two been?"

Slim was grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, boy, have we got news for you!"

"Wait until we get to the Hardys," Pete told them with a twinkle in his brown eyes. "This is real juicy."

Joe groaned but quickly put on his helmet and climbed on his bike. "Then let's go!" The fellows dashed to their respective vehicles and whoever was riding along jumped in. They followed the Hardys all the way back to their house. Frank and Joe arrived a few minutes before everyone else and dashed in to let their mother know the gang was coming. They found her sitting in the living room, chatting away on the phone. Joe frowned when he noticed it was her cell, not the landline.

"Hold on a minute, they just walked in." Laura placed her hand over the mouthpiece. "Do I have some news for you."

"Did Dad call?"

Laura nodded. "He said he'll call back after supper. He needed to talk to you two specifically."

"But Dad knew it was a school day and that we wouldn't be in . . ." began Joe slowly while Frank blinked in surprise.

Laura smiled. "That call was just to reassure me that everything was alright and to tell me that he ran into my parents."

Joe whooped. "You're talking to Grandpa Willie and Grandma Dottie!"

"They're coming for the summer, aren't they?" Frank added with a grin.

Laura laughed and then pushed the speaker phone button. "They figured it out, Mom."

Dottie's cheery laugh came over the phone. "Well I wouldn't expect anything less of them. It does run in the family, after all."

"Oh, before we forget, Mom, the guys are coming over. They're going to help us keep an eye on the Pollitt place for Dad and looks for clues at Willow Grove," said Frank.

Laura nodded. "Thank you for telling me."

"Well, how about that? You two helping your father on another case?"

"Yeah, for now anyway, seeing as he's helping us on ours," Joe reported. The two quickly gave their grandma an update on what was happening while their friends arrived. Frank let them in while Joe finished the narrative.

"My goodness, you have been busy. I'd better let you guys get back to looking for clues. Your mother and I were just talking about the dates of our stay. We're still not sure yet, except that we will be coming in July. That's all your grandfather and I have discussed so far."

"You'll be here for our birthdays though, right?" Joe asked hopefully.

Dottie chuckled. "We'll talk about it, no guarantees. But we will be bringing your birthday presents, so have no fear of that."

"Well, all the fellows are here now, Grandma, so we'll let you and Mom get back to talking."

"Oh, well, hello fellows!"

"Hi!" the boys' friends chorused.

"And ciao for now, we'll be seeing you all when we get there!"

"Bye!"

"See you soon, Grandma!" called out Joe before the boys went dashing up the stairs while Laura turned the speaker phone off and put the phone back to her ear. Working quickly, Frank and Joe put up the telescope with some help from Biff. Frank got the telescope aimed at the Pollitt place before letting everyone take a look through it.

"Looks pretty quiet now," said Chet as he stepped back from the telescope to let Slim get his first look at the place.

Slim peered through the telescope. "Looks like it should be quiet all the time. Well, except for the people running away from it in fear. That house looks like it could be haunted."

"That's what I said!" blurted Chet.

"Oh cool," said Pete with a grin as he switched places with Slim.

"Well, now that you've seen the house and Biff knows what the boat looks like, you guys think you'll be alright?" asked Frank

The three nodded.

"Besides, I might be the one actively watching it while these two get their homework done." Biff glanced knowingly at Slim and Pete, who merely grinned back.

"Well, um, OK. Text me or Joe if you see anything. We need to head out to Willow Grove right now if we want to get any searching done before supper."

"Right!" chorused the others. They went back down the stairs and dashed to Chet's and Biff's cars, Tony having gotten the keys from Biff as they walked towards the house earlier.

When the boys got to Willow Grove, they spread out and carefully looked for clues. After two hours of searching and finding nothing, Frank called it quits and everyone piled into the cars to head back to the Hardys' house. Frank and Joe checked their phones on the way back, but neither one had received a text from Biff. They got back in time for supper. Biff, Slim, and Pete had a negative report on the house, but Slim and Pete had something else to reveal.

"So while that house has been quiet," said Pete between mouthfuls, "Slim and I got our homework done and realized we haven't told you yet."

"Tell us what yet?" asked Joe as he arched an eyebrow.

Chet quickly swallowed. "Oh! Why you were so late!" The two nodded.

"Since Slim and I have been pretty good at keeping up with our homework, Miss Parker thought she would give us a list of the scholarships she thinks we could qualify for. As soon as she gave us our list, we rushed back to our lockers and was making our way to you guys when we came across the Masons." The others gasped. "They didn't notice us though," continued Pete, "so the two of us decided to follow them for a bit."

Slim nodded. "They weren't heading for the front door, so we figured something was up."

"They were meeting their dad."

"Wait, what?"

"Why would they need to meet their dad at the back of the school?" asked Joe, looking at everyone.

"Let us finish, and we can tell you," said Pete, crossing his arms.

"Sorry."

"Apparently Mr. Mason is on a rather important case and is worried that he might have been followed to pick up Adam and Greg."

Frank nodded. "That makes sense."

"But that's not the really juicy part," said Pete with a grin.

Joe blinked. "What's juicier than knowing Mr. Mason is on an important case?"

Pete and Slim glanced at each other, grinned, and spoke in unison. "Adam and Greg don't want to be detectives like their father!"

"Adam wants to be an archeologist or a historian, he's big into history," said Slim.

"And Greg is all about the jungle."

"Oh, well that explains why Vanessa started going out with Greg," said Joe.

"So, you're saying that Adam and Greg wouldn't be our rivals if it weren't for Mr. Mason?"

Pete nodded. "More than likely. Apparently that rivalry between your dad and Mr. Mason does run really deep."

"Why is there a rivalry between your dad and Mr. Mason?" asked Slim.

Frank and Joe shrugged. "We don't know, Dad hasn't said." They glanced at Laura.

"Don't look at me, that's your father's story to tell, not mine."

"Oh, but Mom!" The phone rang.

"Speaking of, that must be him now," said Laura as she rose. She went to pick up the phone in the living room. Frank and Joe followed her. "Hello? Oh hello dear . . . yes, they're here, just a second." She put her hand over the mouthpiece and looked at her sons. "Do you want to take it here or in your father's study?"

"Study!" they chorused before dashing up the stairs. Joe closed the door while Frank went to the desk and pulled out a pad and a pen. The two glanced at each other and nodded before Frank picked up the phone.

"Dad?"

"Hello Frank, can Joe hear?"

"Hang on, let me put on the speaker." Frank pushed the button and set down the receiver. "OK, we're set."

"Alright, good. Do you have any news for me?"

"Nothing happened at the Pollitt place all day, and Biff, Slim, and Pete watched it like a hawk while we were at Willow Grove."

"Did you find anything else at Willow Grove?"

"Nothing," said Joe glumly, "nothing but the tracks we and the police left when we found the Queen."

Fenton let otua huff. "A thief who practically disappears into the night without a trace, except for Chet's car and these wigs."

"Were you able to check up on those wigs?"

"No, I've only been able to get some more information about the man who now owns the Pollitt place, and I've had to do some major digging just to find him. He clearly doesn't want to be found, despite the track record he's left in New York."

"He's served time?"

"Yes, and he's the nephew of old Felix Pollitt. His name is Felix Snattman. I've been on his trail for a while now, but apparently his time in prison has taught him how to be sly. I had a hunch for the longest time that he was somehow involved in this, hence why I asked you to look into the Pollitt place. And I do believe that boat you saw out there is part of their smuggling ring."

"But nothing solid has turned up."

"Exactly, these guys are covering their tracks really well, almost too well."

"Does that mean they could slip up soon?" asked Joe.

"I can only hope, maybe they will slip up now while I'm gone and/or you find something."

Frank winced. "We would have to have permission to go back to the Pollitt place. We'll check Willow Grove again, but like with Snattman and his smugglers, our thief seems to have covered his tracks really well."

There was a moment's pause one the line as Frank and Joe shared a concerned look. Would their father agree to let them go back?

Fenton sighed. "Alright, but wait until I've returned before you head back."

"Alright," chorused the boys, grinning broadly.

"In the meantime, you can head to the dock and check in with one of my informants. He's been keeping an eye on the docks ever since you boys told me about that boat you saw."

Frank and Joe glanced at each other. "An informant?"

"Yes, he goes by the name of Pretzel Pete, shouldn't be too hard to find him, he sells those big pretzels by the dock. I think that since I'm one of his biggest customers, he was more than willing to help me out."

"OK, wow, you're building your very own little Baker Street Irregulars." Joe chuckled.

"Joe."

"Sorry."

"I get help from whomever I can, and wherever I can. Fighting crime is no easy feat, it practically takes a whole army."

"As we've been finding out," said Frank as he shot a glance at Joe. Joe nodded.

"Well I need to go. There's one last thing I need to look into before heading to bed. I'll look into your clues tomorrow and I will call after supper. You boys take care and be careful."

"We will Dad, you be careful yourself."

"I always am. Good night."

"Good night!" The line went dead and Frank returned the receiver to the base.

"Well then, guess we have to meet with Pretzel Pete tomorrow and find out what he's found out."

"Yeah," said Frank almost absent-mindedly, his hand still on the receiver.

"What are you thinking about?"

"How come we've never heard of this Pretzel Pete before?"

Joe shrugged. "It's not like we go to the docks that often."

"True, but, still, there's this nagging at the back of my brain . . ."

"Is it similar the nagging that our cases are connected?"

Frank nodded.

"Well then, guess we'll just have to figure out Pretzel Pete's secret when we meet him tomorrow."

"I don't know if Dad will be happy about that."

Joe thought a moment. "Unless we get him to reveal it to us."

"I guess so. Come on, let's tell the fellows. Maybe we can brainstorm a few ways to get Snattman to slip up."

"And maybe figure otua way to get our thief to come out of hiding."

"That too." The boys left the study and told their friends what Fenton had said and what they hoped to do now. But as the boys went to bed that night, they were burning with curiosity if Pretzel Pete had found any clues.


	10. Pretzel Pete

Frank and Joe gathered the guys together during lunch to lay out the plans for that day. They made it perfectly clear that talking to Pretzel Pete was of the utmost importance, but so was keeping an eye on the Pollitt place. Slim and Pete quickly voiced that they might be able to do the lookout, provided that there was at least one other person so they could concentrate on their homework as well.

Biff shrugged. "I could help with the lookout again. I am the only other person besides you two who knows what that ship looks like."

Frank nodded with appreciation and relief. "That is true. Thanks Biff, I really appreciate it."

Biff shot him a grin. "No problem man."

Chet spoke up. "I'll help too. You guys did find my car pretty quickly, it's the least I could do."

"Thanks Chet. Well, with the four of you, I think that's covered."

"But, what should we do?" asked Jack, indicating himself, Jerry, Tony, and Phil.

"Besides homework," Jerry quickly added with a quick glance at Pete. Pete grinned.

Frank chuckled. "As long as you do your homework, you can follow us."

They glanced at each other before Tony asked, "But, you said that just you and Joe were going to meet this Pretzel Pete."

Joe nodded. "He did, and we are, but we do need people to be on the lookout if something were to happen. It was the only way mom would agree to let us go meet him."

A grin began to spread on Tony's face. "Can Phil and I keep an eye from the Napoli?"

Frank grinned. "Sure! That's a great idea! You two keep an eye from the ocean side, while Jack and Jerry can keep an eye from the land side. Perfect!"

"Which means that Jack and Jerry will be our communications. If something happens at the Pollitt place, text Jack and Jerry first. They'll let you know if it's alright to contact us," Joe told the other four.

Frank nodded. "We don't want any unnecessary interruptions while we're in this meeting."

"Do you really think it's going to take that long?" sked Slim.

Frank shrugged. "We don't know, we're just going to be prepared for anything right now." The others nodded. The bell rang, startling them.

"Lunch is over already?" blurted Joe as he tried to quickly eat as much as he could.

"Joe, just come on!" blurted Frank as the group dashed off to their classes.

"We'll meet you at your house!" blurted Pete before he and Slim left the group.

Later, as the boys pulled into the garage, Joe let out a heavy sigh. "I can't wait for school to be over. Solving mysteries would be so much easier when we're not having to worry about schoolwork."

Frank chuckled. "Just a couple more days, Joe, you can hold out until then, right?"

Joe shot him a look as the two walked towards their house. "Are you nuts? We still have Field Day on Friday, finals on Tuesday, and the graduation on Wednesday! Ugh, why can't they just finish it all this week?"

Frank sighed. "You know why. That blizzard pushed us back a few days."

Joe threw up his hands. "I know, it was a rhetorical question, sheesh." He opened the door, and the two walked in to find their mother sitting on the sofa with a bright smile on her face.

Frank gasped. "Did Dad call?"

She laughed, but she nodded. "You know my signals way too well."

"Well yeah, you are our mother," quipped Joe as he just about bounced onto the sofa. "So, what did he say?"

She patted his cheek. "The majority of it was for my ears only, young man. He's still going to call after supper to talk to you two. But I can say that apparently your wigs came through, and he might have figured out who your thief is."

"Alright!" whooped Joe.

"Wow, that's the closest we've ever gotten. But now we have to find him and get the police to arrest him." There was a knock at the door, and Frank went to open it for their friends while Joe quickly explained to Laura their plans.

She nodded gratefully at the large group of friends. "I'm so glad you have my sons' backs."

Biff grinned. "We've always got them."

"After everything they've done for us, how could we not?" said Chet.

Tony placed his hands on his hips and gave them a broad grin. "We are the Bayport Buddies after all!" Everyone eyed him.

"Did you just come up with that?" asked Phil.

Tony shrugged. "Maybe."

"It's horrible," said Jack.

"No," said Biff, "it's not horrible. It's just something you would use for a group of middle-schoolers, not us."

"Bayport Detectives is more of our things," said Joe as he got up from the sofa.

"Bayport Detectives does sound better," said Jack, "but isn't your dad already a Bayport detective?"

"Another word for detective is sleuth," said Frank. "We could be the Bayport Sleuths, but, we can worry about that later. We have a meeting to get to."

"Right," chorused the boys. Frank and Joe made sure that Biff, Chet, Slim, and Pete were situated with the telescope before they rejoined the other four and took off. They dropped Tony and Phil off at Tony's boathouse before they went towards the commercial docks. Jerry pulled the minivan into a parking lot.

"Alright, gentlemen, here is your stop. Good luck finding Pretzel Pete."

Frank chuckled as he and Joe unbuckled. "Thanks. Watch, the majority of the time we spend out there is looking for him and the meeting itself is short."

"I certainly hope so. We do have to be back home for Dad's call," said Joe as he opened the door. "See you later!" The two quickly got out of the minivan and began walking casually onto the docks, their eyes peeled for the pretzel vendor. They saw men coming to and fro, loading and unloading crates. There were men cleaning the ships, men checking to make sure that the right crates were loaded on the right ships, and guys who looked like officers making sure that everything was on schedule. There were also men helping unload luggage while passengers hailed taxis or entered the nearby restaurants. They also noticed the sleek brow of the Napoli, but gave no indication that they recognized it, much less saw it.

"Spotting a pretzel vendor should be easy among all these sailors," remarked Frank.

"Then where is he?"

"This is a pretty large area, Joe, he could be anywhere right now."

"Well, I hope we find him soon, I'm starting to get hungry, and a pretzel sounds good right about now."

Frank sighed. "Of course . . . wait, did you hear that?" The two strained their ears. There was a faint call of "Pretzels!"

Joe shot Frank a grin. "You see? If there's food we're looking for, my stomach does the detecting."

Frank rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure Chet's better at that than you."

"Whatever you say, sourpuss, let's just go get some pretzels."

"Alright." The two dashed off in the direction of the sound of "pretzels! Pretzels for sale!" The two paused to pant when they came across a guy with a full, greying beard and a box full of pretzels. He blinked in surprise as Joe held up a finger.

"We'd, we'd like a pretzel," said Joe.

"Two pretzels, and the nearest fountain," said Frank between breaths.

"Well, I can help with the pretzels," said the vendor, "but you'll have to go buy a water bottle from one of these fancy joints."

Frank sighed. "Go figure. But you are Pretzel Pete, right?"

Pete nodded slowly. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"We're Fenton Hardy's sons, he told us to come talk to you."

"He was wondering if you had any more information for him. He's currently out of town on business, so he sent us," Frank explained. But then Frank looked closer at Pretzel Pete. There was something familiar about him, especially those eyes. Where did he see those eyes before?

"Oh, you'd better follow me. Too many prying eyes and ears." The Hardys nodded and followed Pretzel Pete to an abandoned warehouse.

"Good place for an ambush," muttered Joe as he and Frank glanced around the building.

Pretzel Pete chuckled. "You think so, eh? Good thing there's no one here but us then. I'm on your side, after all."

Frank shot him a nervous smile. "Right. So, um, what information did you find out for our dad?"

Pete handed each of them a pretzel. "Go ahead and eat it, and I'll tell you what I found out." The boys each began munching on the pretzels while Pete helped himself to one. "Well, your dad came to me, asking me to keep an eye out for any suspicious people, especially when it came to smuggling." He took a bit of his pretzel before continuing. "There was this guy I found out was smuggling items out of America to India, only recently found out his name is Ali Singh."

The boys glanced at him in surprise. First, because this news was a great surprise, they were getting somewhere! Secondly, Pete's voice had changed, and they knew that voice.

"Jack? Jack Wayne?" blurted Joe, nearly choking on his pretzel.

"Wh-what?"

"Your voice, it changed!" blurted Frank.

Pete's, or Jack's, mouth dropped before doing a facepalm. "Fenton was afraid I would do that too." He sighed before taking off his beard and nodding at the boys. "Yeah, you found me out. I've been playing as Pretzel Pete over the years whenever your dad needed someone to watch the docks. He often warned me that I tended to switch back to my normal voice when I got too comfortable." He grinned at the boys. "But what he forgot was that I only get comfortable around him and his family."

"And that's why we've never heard of Pretzel Pete before," said Joe.

"Or seen you when we visited the docks," said Frank. "Dad usually got his info."

Jack nodded. "Fenton figured the fewer people who knew about this, the better. Well, now we've added two more busybodies to the gossip list."

"Hey!"

Jack merely shot Joe a grin.

Frank cleared his throat. "So you found out that Ali Singh is the go-between for the smugglers and their customers in India." Jack nodded. "Anything else?"

Jack shrugged. "Only that he's working for one of the passenger ships. I've narrowed it down to a couple, but I strongly suspect it's the Marco Polo."

"How come?" asked Frank.

"First of all, the size of the boat. It's the bigger one of the two. Secondly, their captain leaves his crew unsupervised. I guess he thinks he can trust them all, and to be fair, I don't see why not, they're a bunch of great sailors. But, Ali Singh, well, he's obviously a better actor than I am."

"And you're pretty good, which means he's really good," said Joe.

"Oh thanks."

Joe smirked. "You're welcome."

"But not good enough if he's let slip that he does the selling for the gang, and that it's easy to figure out he's working for the Marco Polo."

"Well, mostly easy," said Jack. "But the third reason why I think so, and the main reason, to be honest, is that Ali tries to avoid going to the Marco Polo. Only problem is, he keeps going to a different ship each time, and I don't see him after the Marco Polo has left port. So, you know, not exactly the best distraction." Joe and Frank chuckled.

"Nah, he just didn't realize that a seasoned detective was watching him," said Joe.

Jack scoffed. "A regular vendor would have come to the same conclusion. Still not the greatest."

"True. Did you find out anything else?"

"Just something of a confirmation that Snattman is the ringleader of the smugglers, that their center of operations is at the Pollitt place, and they somehow found out that there's a big order of medicine coming into our pharmacy."

The boys gasped. "Biff's dad!"

"We should warn them!" said Joe.

"Don't! The medicine won't be here until Monday. That should give us enough time to plan a trap. Your dad's the best one when it comes to that, so we should wait until he gets back."

"We don't even know when that will be!"

"If you're gathering this info for him, this should get him back in Bayport by tomorrow night. But no word, I mean none, about the medicine or me being Pretzel Pete is to be spoken to anyone else, understand?"

"Yes sir."

Jack picked up the beard and began putting it back on. "Good. Now, you two better get out of here, or the questions really will be flying." The boys nodded and dashed out of the warehouse. They slowed their pace to a quick walk, but as soon as they saw the minivan, they booked it.

"Text Tony and Phil, it's time to head back to our house," said Frank as he and Joe buckled in.

"Got it," said Jack as he pulled out his phone and sent the text. They went to pick up Tony and Phil, and Jerry drove as fast as he dared back to the Hardy residence. They made it just in time for dinner, and got a report in the negative from Biff, Chet, Slim, and Pete. They had just barely finished tidying up the kitchen after dinner when the phone rang. Frank and Joe dashed up the stairs to the study to answer it.

"Hi boys."

"Hi dad!"

"Did Pretzel Pete have anything?"

"Oh boy did he," said Joe with a chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

The boys took turns giving their father the entire conversation.

Fenton chuckled. "I warned him about that. But, I guess if we are the only ones he's comfortable around, then he's fine. And it's a good thing I was planning on coming back tomorrow, looks like we might have this gang rounded up by Monday is everything works out. And a good thing too, I'm going to have another case right as I finish this one up."

"Phew," said Joe with a low whistle. "Nonstop, huh?"

Fenton chuckled. "Still sure you want to become detectives?"

"Yes!' chorused the boys.

"What about the wigs? What did you find out?" asked Frank.

"They were made here in New York, definitely, and custom-made for a local theater actor. They were stolen some time before Chet's car was stolen. And before the wigs were stolen, another car was stolen."

"Oh wow," said Joe.

"Hmm," said Frank.

"What?"

"Maybe he stole Chet's car because the car he took ran out of gas, or he crashed it?"

"It's a possibility. Maybe you can have Chet look for an abandoned car near his farm. It was a dark blue sedan. And if you do find it, let Collig know immediately."

"And maybe there will be clues!"

"If it's the guy the police are sure it is, it's doubtful."

"Who do the police think it is?"

"A guy by the name of John Jackley, nicknamed Red by, well, just about everyone because of his red hair. He hardly ever left any clues."

"Is it the same shade of red hair as Greg Mason?" asked Joe.

"Oh definitely not. Greg's looks lighter, and has a little more orange than what Jackley does. In fact, Jackley's hair is a little more commonly found than Greg's. That wig he used was for a Shakespearean play."

"Wow, Greg has the same hair color as a Shakespeare character. I'm sure he'll be thrilled with that."

Fenton chuckled. "I'm sure he will. Listen, I have one more thing to look into for my case tonight and then I have to hit the sack early so I can get home early."

"That will be swell Dad, Mom will definitely be happy."

"Her and me both. Goodnight, boys, I'll see you two after school tomorrow."

"Well," said Frank, "if there is a dark blue sedan at the Morton farm, we might head over there first."

"That sounds fine. Just get home as quickly as possible. I'll need you to take over watching the Pollitt place so I can plan the trap. Bye!"

"Alright, bye Dad!" Frank hung up the phone and they dashed down the stairs to let the others know what they had found out. Laura and Trudy were both relieved to hear that Fenton would be coming back the next day and Chet promised to look for a dark blue sedan on his way home.

Sometime later, after all their friends had left, Frank and Joe were taking turns looking out the telescope and quickly getting their homework done when the phone rang. Joe, who had been working on some math problems and was the closest, lunged for the phone.

"Hello?"

"I found it! I found the dark blue sedan!"

(Sorry about the late update, things have been crazy, and the holiday didn't help, lol. Hope you enjoy!)


	11. Dark Blue Sedan

Chet excitedly explained that he had found it in a ditch not far from his house. He had already called Chief Collig about it, and he said that the Hardys could have the first look at it after school. Joe whooped at the news and told Frank. Their eyes were shining with eager anticipation.

"Is there anything else you can tell us about it right now?" asked Joe.

"Well, from what I can see without getting my own fingerprints on it, it looks like he ran out of gas and . . . oh! There are more wigs in here!"

"What? Really?" said Joe, his excitement rising. He quickly relayed the news to Frank.

"Ask him if he can open one of the doors. We need to be sure it's unlocked." Joe blinked and opened his mouth to refute the idea, but then realized what his brother was getting at. Red Jackley hadn't left any fingerprints on anything! Joe quickly told Chet.

"But, I would get my fingerprints on it!"

"We know, but Red Jackley has never left his fingerprints on something he's stolen so far, highly doubt there would be any on that car too." Joe glanced at Frank. He nodded. "Besides, it sounds like Red likes to travel light, so he was already wearing his gloves, grabbed a couple of wigs, and went off in search of another vehicle to use, and he found yours."

Chet let out a breath. "Alright, I'm trying the driver's side." Joe and Frank waited before a loud whoop made Joe wince and pull the phone back from his ear. He shot a grin at Frank though. "The driver's side is open!"

"Close it."

"Awesome! Thanks Chet! Now close it, we don't need other outside elements getting in and ruining our evidence."

"Got it, it's closed now."

"Thanks Chet, we'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Alright, see you!"

Joe hung up the phone before jumping up and letting out a soft whoop. He and Frank high-fived.

"Well, now we definitely know he was making his way here after stealing some things from the Big Apple," said Frank. He sat down in a chair and began to think. "But, why was he coming here specifically? Robbing the Applegates was not the primary objective, that's for sure."

Joe nodded as he too sat down. "They would have already been sold or offered back to the Applegates at a high price. Instead, it seems like he's hidden them."

Frank nodded. "Then we're back at the question, what was his main motive for coming here, to Bayport, of all places?"

"A town just about everyone knows that the famous Fenton Hardy lives in?" A smile began to grow on Joe's face. "Unless the cases really are connected, and that Red Jackley is the main thief."

Frank's eyes widened as he gasped and snapped his fingers. "And he's apparently good at acting too! He uses the wigs to get into the places he going to rob!"

Joe grabbed the armrests of his chair and leaned forward. "That's how they're going to steal the medicine! Red could act as the person who's supposed to get the medicine, and run off with it before anyone's the wiser!" Both boys gritted their teeth, it really was truly cruel to steal medicine from people who needed it, especially since, as they figured, it was not going to people who needed it overseas either. "I can't wait until Dad gets home tomorrow."

Frank nodded. "Me neither, he needs to know this, if he hasn't already come to the same conclusion as us."

Joe shrugged. "I don't think he has, quite yet, he could still be thinking the two cases are separate."

Frank rose and walked over to the desk. "All the more reason to let him know as soon as possible." Frank quickly wrote down their suspicions on a piece of paper while Joe watched over his shoulder. "I think that's everything."

Joe nodded. "That looks like it." He glanced at Frank. "Think he'll agree?"

Frank shrugged. "I don't know, but he will have to admit this is a big possibility." There was a knock at the door, and the boys turned to find their mother looking in.

"Frank, Joe, your aunt and I have already locked up the house and are heading to bed. You should do the same."

The boys glanced at the clock and gasped.

"It's already ten?" blurted Joe.

Frank turned to their mother and smiled. "Thanks Mom! We'll finish up in here and head to bed."

Laura smiled. "Good, good night."

"Night Mom!' chorused the boys. She closed the door and the boys went to work tidying up the office. They quickly finished up their homework before tossing it into their backpacks and dashed off to their rooms. They got together their kits to look for clues in the sedan. A few minutes later, the house was dark and quiet.

The next morning, they were woken by the phone ringing. They heard their mother answer it. A few minutes later, she came into their room.

"Boys? Are you up?"

"Who was that?" asked Joe groggily as he stretched in his bed.

"Your father."

Both boys sat up in their beds and looked at their mother. She chuckled.

"Wh-what did he say?' asked Frank.

"He's sent Collig word to have information on this Red Jackley for you after school is out."

"Why can't he give it to us himself?" asked Joe.

Laura sighed. "He might have found an important clue, so he's had to delay his return until dinner. He would like it if you and your friends watched the house again today."

Frank nodded. "I'm sure Biff, Slim, and Pete wouldn't mind helping out again."

"And the rest will go with you to see the car?" The boys nodded. "Good, well then, time to get up and get ready." She smiled and closed the door behind her.

Joe groaned and sank his head back into his pillow while Frank got up, yawned and stretched. A moment later Joe was up too. After all, they had to wonder, what did their father find?

At lunch, the boys had their meeting. Biff, Slim, and Pete were going to be lookouts again, with the addition of Tony and Phil, while Jack and Jerry would go with the Hardys and Chet to look at the sedan. As soon as school was out, the boys raced to the Hardys.

"Oh good grief, again? Is this going to be a daily occurrence?" blurted Aunt Trudy when they came tromping into the house. She was sitting on the sofa reading a book and looked very annoyed.

"Only until Mr. Hardy, Frank and Joe have solved their mysteries," said Biff with a flash of his pearly whites.

Aunt Trudy groaned and rolled her eyes. "Oh alright." She went back to reading while the lookout team went up the stairs followed by Frank and Joe. They made sure everything was set up before dashing into their room, grabbed their detective kit, dashed back down the stairs, and leapt into the Queen.

"Alright, Chet, let's go," said Frank as soon as he finished buckling. Chet took off towards his farm. He went a few feet passed it.

Jerry let out a low whistle as Chet slowed down. There was the blue sedan, the front looked pretty bad. The hood itself reminded the boys of an accordian. "Man, that guy really does not care what he does to other people's things."

"Yeah, I got real lucky with Queen," said Chet as he got out of the car. He kissed the jalopy before joining the boys as they went into the ditch. Joe handed out gloves, and each boy went over a different part of the car. Frank climbed into the driver's seat and unlocked everything. Joe dusted the entire car for fingerprints, while Jack and Jerry rummaged around in the back seat, Frank searched the front, and Chet looked through the trunk.

Frank opened the glove compartment and found the real owner's insurance. He pulled it out to give it to Collig so they could contact the guy and let him know they found his car. Frank went back to searching the compartment when he gasped. He pulled out an envelope addressed to Red Jackley! He quickly opened the envelope and pulled out a map of New York City, Bayport, and the surrounding areas. Several spots were circled on the map, one spot was marked as Pollitt place, a part of Willow Grove was in the circle. A large red circle with a red X inside it was marked as Fenton Hardy's house. Frank gulped. They knew where they lived! He was glad the others were at the house right now. He quickly folded the map up and got out of the car. "Guys, I found something!" Everyone came running to him as he began walking out of the ditch to the Queen.

"What is it?" asked Joe.

"A map, just wait until you see it." Frank got to Chet's car and unfolded the map, laying it out flato n the Queen's hood. The others gasped.

"Wait, they know where we live?" exclaimed Joe, pointing at the big red circle. He glanced at Frank worriedly. "Why haven't they attacked us?"

Frank thought a moment. "I don't think attacking people is their thing, otherwise, it would have happened long before now." Frank glanced over the map. "No, I'm betting they think they're safe for now. Dad still hasn't gotten enough evidence to put them behind bars, much less catch them even though he is on their trail."

"Hey, why is Cherryville circled?" asked Jerry, pointing at possibly the largest circle on the map.

Frank glanced at it, wondering the same thing. "I have no clue. Maybe Collig might be able to tell us. Dad said he asked Collig to have that information for us." He glanced at the others as he refolded the map. "Did you look over everything?"

"Yeah, no fingerprints, except for Chet's," said Joe with a sigh.

Jack and Jerry shook their heads. "We didn't find anything in the back seat."

"There was nothing in the trunk that seemed to be of importance," said Chet, "just the owner's set of emergency supplies."

Frank glanced at Joe. "What about the wigs?"

Joe shrugged. "They looked like just a bunch of regular wigs, I can see that now after looking at the wigs he left with the Queen."

Frank stuck the envelope in his pocket. "Well, I guess we've found all that we could. I'm going to go get the owner's insurance papers, and we should head out to the police station."

"Right," chorused the other four. Frank dashed back to the sedan, grabbed the insurance papers, and raced back to the Queen. Everyone was ready to go when he arrived, and Chet took off the instant he got buckled.

When they arrived at the police station, Frank and Joe almost didn't wait for Chet to fully park before they were racing into the station. They burst into Collig's office with a shout of, "You'll never believe what we found!" They had startled him, but he was pleased to see them.

"Well, five more minutes and I would have had to send my men after you," said Collig, glancing at his computer. He glanced at the boys with a twinkle in his eyes. "So, what did you find?"

Frank showed him the envelope, laid out the map, and pointed out the circled spots. Collig jumped out of his chair when Frank showed him that their house was circled. Chet, Jerry, and Jack joined them at this moment, and Jerry asked about Cherryville. Collig pulled out a sheet of paper from his desk and handed it to the Hardys.

"I think that can be answered easily, Jackley used to work for the railroad in Cherryville and Bayport, mostly Cherryville though, so it makes sense that he would know a lot about this area. But, I'm concerned about this." Collig pointed to the big red circle. "I think I should send a couple of men to keep an eye on your house tonight, especially if what your father finds is crucial to breaking open this case and catching those men."

"So, you do think that the theft at Tower Mansion and Dad's smugglers are connected?" asked Joe slowly.

Collig picked up the envelope and pointed to the top right corner. The name Snattman was barely visible, but definitely clear enough to read. "I think Jackley messed up once, and once was all we needed. If you boys needed any proof to back your suspicions that the cases were connected, you just found it."

The boys glanced at each other, eyes and mouths wide open, before glancing pointedly at Frank. Joe understood though, he wouldn't have thought much about the envelope once he saw their house circled in red ink either.

He pursed his lips. "I hope Dad hasn't gotten himself into too much trouble."

Collig laid the envelope on his desk. "Guess you'll have to find out a dinner tonight, huh?" They nodded. "Well, we're going to need this evidence and maybe, hopefully, pull together a plan to catch those crooks. In the meantime, you guys go home and get some rest, you've been doing a lot lately. Oh, and here, you can take the intel on Red Jackley too." Collig handed the piece of paper to Frank.

Frank took it and nodded. "Thanks Chief. Oh!" He pulled out the insurance papers and handed them to Collig. "These belong to the owner of the sedan."

Collig took the papers and nodded. "Thank you, I'll send a tow company to pick up the car and we'll get in contact with the owner. Thanks a lot boys."

"You're welcome! Bye chief!"

"Bye boys!" They waved to each other before the boys left the police station. The way back to the Hardys house was quiet, though Jack and Jerry did their best to cheer up Frank and Joe. But they all understood, seeing one's house marked like that was rather daunting.

When they got into the Hardys house, they gave all the details of what they found and what Collig said. Laura and Trudy were pleased to hear that they would get police watching the house that night. The boys' friends left, since there had been no plans made for them to stay for dinner. But when dinner came and went with no sign of Fenton, the family was starting to get a little worried.

Trudy glanced at the clock while they were all reading in the living room. "My goodness, how long does one clue take? The boys are already back after school and finding two clues!"

Laura glanced at her sister-in-law over the top of her book. "Trudy, really, you should know how this goes. Sometimes one clue can lead to another, and another, and before you know it, a whole day has passed."

"Admit it Laura, you know something's happened to him."

The boys glanced at their mother. "If he's not back by tomorrow morning, I will call Collig." A knock came at the front door. Laura rose to answer it, and Frank got up to stand behind her, just in case. "Hello?"

There were two officers at the front door. One of them tipped his cap at Laura. "Hello ma'am, Chief Collig sent us to watch the house. We were told to report to Fenton Hardy."

"I'm afraid he's not back yet," said Laura.

The officer raised an eyebrow. "The Chief said he was to be back by now."

Laura nodded. "I know, but there have been times where he's stayed out later than planned because of a clue."

"And if he doesn't come back tonight at all?"

Laura pursed her lips. "Then call it in please."

The officer nodded. "Will do, ma'am. You have a good night."

"Thank you officer." Laura closed the door, and Frank trailed her back to the living room. She placed her hands on the sofa, and Frank gave her a reassuring pat. She smiled at him.

"Well, that certainly wasn't Fenton," said Trudy.

Laura shook her head. "It was the two officers Collig promised to send over to watch for the night. I told them that if Fenton hadn't shown up by morning, to call it in."

Trudy nodded. "Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get up early for the librarians meeting in the morning. Good night."

"Good night Trudy."

"Good night Auntie!"

"Night Aunt Trudy."

Laura sighed as she watched Trudy walked up the stairs. "I think we should all go to bed. No use worrying tonight."

"Right," chorused the boys. They helped their mother make sure the doors were locked and the lights were turned off before they all went to bed.

Frank and Joe were woken up early the next morning by a loud banging on their door. They heard their mother leaving her room and dashing down the stairs. They bounded out of bed and dashed to the top of the stairs as their mother opened the door.

"Yes?"

"Hello ma'am, I'm sorry to report that Fenton Hardy did not return last night, but we did find this in your mailbox."

"Oh, oh my." The boys dashed down the stairs. Laura motioned them to follow her into the living room. She sat down and opened the envelope. She gasped as she read the message with the boys peering over her shoulder. "I won't be home for several days," it read "Don't worry. Fenton." "Officer! Call the Chief! Fenton's in trouble!"

"How do you know?" asked the officer. He had come into the living room.

Laura glanced at him pointedly. "My husband and I have a secret code. He didn't write this!"

The officer tipped his hat. "I'm on it ma'am." He dashed out of the house. Frank and Joe went around to sit on either side of their mother. She wrapped an arm around each one and held them close. They didn't know what kind of danger Fenton was in, just that he was, and they needed to find him quickly.

(Well, this is a first. I got another chapter out pretty quickly! So excited that this chapter practically wrote itself, lol. Was working on the next chapter in the Nancy Drew mystery, The Old Clock at Lilac Inn, but I got stuck on what to name Bess and George's grandma. She seems like she should have a name. Anyway, while I was trying to figure that out, this got written, and I got started on the second chapter of an original book too. lol, man, their grandma is more stubborn than I thought. Her name has to be just so! lol, anyway, thank you so much for reading! I'm so glad you are liking it so much! And yes, I'm planning on redoing the whole series, a huge undertaking, I know, but I have been swamped with ideas for how each book could go, especially the crossovers. XD Thanks again!)


	12. Missing

Joe took a look at the note again. "Mom, how do you know it wasn't Dad who wrote this?"

Laura sighed. "Have you ever noticed your father's signature?" The boys glanced at each other in shock before glancing at their mother and nodding slowly. "There's something missing, isn't there?" The boys glanced at the note again.

Frank gasped. "Those little symbols he usually put under his name, they're not there!"

"Not only that, but this message is too short. Your father always writes to me in our code, even if the code just simply says I love you, it lets me know he was the one who wrote it."

Joe glanced at her pleadingly. "Will we get to learn the code?"

Laura glanced at her boys and nodded. "Yes, I think it's about time you finally learned it too."

Frank cleared his throat. "May we, um, may we share it with Nancy too?"

Laura chuckled. "Carson and Catherine had their own code, and it was definitely different from ours. I think it's best the three of you come up with your own code to use." The boys nodded, that made sense. At that moment, the officer came back into the house, announcing that Collig was on his way.

Half an hour later, Trudy was up and was given the latest news, Sam and Janelle Radley had arrived to comfort the family, Jack Wayne was on his way, and Collig was on the phone with Principal Stevenson, requesting the day off for Frank and Joe. Collig got off the phone with Stevenson right as Jack Wayne walked into the door.

"Is there anything you need?" he asked upon entering the living room.

Collig had just returned the phone to its receiver and turned to face Jack. "Ah, good, you're here." He glanced really quick at the boys. "You do have the day off today." He turned back to Jack. "Now, I'm under the assumption that you in particular are working with Fenton on this case?"

Jack nodded. "I am."

"When was the last time you heard from him?"

"Oh, yesterday morning, he sounded really excited. He thought he had found a clue that could blow the whole case wide open. He told me to come to the house this afternoon, in fact, he, the boys, and I were going to come up with a plan to catch them." He glanced around the room sullenly. "I, I hate to say this, but, I think, I think they caught him."

"Well, if you hate to say something, don't say it!" blurted Trudy. She crossed her arms and let out a humph before going to sit down in one of the armchairs.

Jack followed her. "I'm sorry Trudy, but it's the likeliest scenario. We have to think of every angle." He knelt before her. "Would you rather I just come out and blurt it like you do?"

Trudy gasped. "You're not exactly getting yourself out of this hole."

Jack snickered. "Sorry Trudy, but, I have to tell the truth. We're being questioned, after all. You never wanted me to lie, remember?"

"Oh posh, this is serious Jack." But she gave him a coy smile and a little giggle. The boys' eyes widened as they glanced at each other. Were Aunt Trudy and Jack flirting? What a time to flirt.

Collig cleared his throat. "Not for everything, Jack. Anyway, that was the last time you spoke with Fenton?"

Jack rose and nodded. "Yes, it was. I didn't suspect anything had happened until I got the call to meet you here." He turned to Laura and the boys. "I'm really sorry about all this."

Laura gave him a sad smile. "It's all part of the job, Jack. Let's just concentrate on finding him." Jack nodded.

"Well, based on what we have learned so far, our best bet would be to stake out the Pollitt place." Collig winced. "Unfortunately, we don't have any real proof that he was taken there. There might be another hideout."

"But Chief, there is a secret tunnel going out to the sea," blurted Joe. "I don't think there are many places they could move him, unless they moved him to a boat."

Jack snapped his fingers. "Speaking of, Chief, we do suspect that a member of the gang, a man by the name of Ali Singh, is working for the _Marco Polo_. If they do get him out of Bayport, it would be on the _Marco Polo_."

"Oh good heavens!" exclaimed Trudy.

"If they get him out, but it's a possibility. From what I've been reading of Snattman, he's not one for murder, so shanghaing someone would be something he would do." He glanced at one of his men. "Daniels, get me the departure time for the _Marco Polo_. If that is their plan, we'll at least have a time frame."

Daniels nodded. "Yes sir." He quickly left to get the information.

Collig glanced back at the family. "Well, I'm afraid that's all we can do right now. Next step is finding clues." He glanced at Frank and Joe. "And you two are pretty good at that." He glanced at Laura. "And I know you and Fenton made a deal back when you were pregnant with Frank, but, would you consider getting back into mystery-solving, just to solve your husband's disappearance?"

Laura pursed her lips as her hands gripped Frank's and Joe's hands a little tighter. "I don't know, Ezra, it's been a while. I'm a little rusty." She glanced at her boys with a soft smile. "Besides, I'm pretty sure these two took all of my mystery-solving brain cells."

"Oh, Mom, come on. I've always wanted to see you in action!" said Joe.

"Besides, Dad needs us," said Frank.

Laura sighed. "You're right, but I did promise absolutely no field work."

"We'll take care of that," said Joe. Frank nodded.

Laura glanced between the two before looking at Collig. "Alright Ezra, what do you need me to do?"

Collig shrugged. "I guess take up where Fenton left off on this case. And work on a plan to capture the gang, without putting your husband in jeopardy, of course."

"Of course." She glanced at Jack. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

Jack thought a moment before shaking his head no. "That's everything."

She nodded then glanced at the boys. "And you've kept me up to date so far?"

They nodded and chorused, "Yes, ma'am."

Laura nodded, then thought about it. "The clue Fenton was talking about really was important, and had to have been found near the Pollitt place." She glanced at Frank and Joe. "Let's do the same thing you and your friends have been doing, have half of them here watching the Pollitt place through the telescope, and the rest go with you two to Willow Grove and start looking for clues to your father's whereabouts. Make your way to the Pollitt place, if you do find something, report it to Collig immediately."

The boys nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"But, what do we do until then?" asked Joe, pointing to the clock. It was now only eight-thirty. "We got the day off, no one else did."

"You can keep an eye on the Pollitt place until then," said Laura.

Joe huffed slightly. "Alright."

"Hey, Dad did ask us to keep an eye on it, and we haven't yet," pointed out Frank.

Joe nodded, though he was still annoyed. "True."

"Thank you." Laura glanced between Jack and Collig. "Ezra, Jack, I'm going to need all the information you can give me on the gang and that medicine coming in."

Collig nodded as he stood up. "I'll send that to you as soon as I get back to the office. And I'll get Todd Hooper to get in contact with you."

"And I'll get you all the notes I was supposed to give Fenton," said Jack.

Laura smiled at them both. "Thank you."

"Of course. We want Fenton back as much as you do." Jack patted her shoulder.

"Now, before we leave, was there anything you wanted me to do?" asked Collig.

"Is it possible to have your men take a look at the route Fenton takes from New York to Bayport?"

Collig thought a moment. "I might be able to send a man or two. I'll let you know for sure when I send you that information."

Trudy let out a huff. "Fenton really should give you a spare key to his file case."

Laura chuckled. "There's a reason why he doesn't. He just knows I'll try to solve the mystery before he does." She sighed. "It's been hard, but I've learned how to curb my curiosity." She glanced at the people in her living room with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "But thanks to you, I just might get that back."

Jack chuckled. "Oh dear, Fenton won't be too pleased."

Collig chuckled. "Well, then next time, he'd better not get himself captured. But I'm sure he will be pleased that I'm going to have a guard posted here everyday until we find him and catch this gang."

"Thank you Ezra."

Collig tipped his hat. "No problem, Laura. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a search party to organize and some information to send to you. I'll talk to you later."

"Talk to you later," replied Laura. Collig and his men left the house.

Sam Radley cleared his throat. "Is there anything I can do, Laura?" The boys jumped, they had completely forgotten that he and Janelle were there! Janelle was standing in the doorway between the living room and the dining room.

"Oh Sam, yes, I was just thinking about that." She turned to the boys. "You saw a boat out a way from the Pollitt place?"

"Yes!" They took turns describing what they and Biff had seen.

Laura nodded and turned to Sam. "Think you could take a few spins out and look for that boat?"

Sam nodded. "Sure! I could use an extra pair of eyes, though." He glanced at Jack. "Hey Jack, want to tag along?"

"I'm curious in this boat the boys saw too, I haven't seen anything of the sort at the dock. Let's go."

Sam nodded, then turned to his wife and gave her a kiss. "See you at home?"

Janelle nodded. "I'll stay here for a little while before heading out. Be safe."

"I will." They kissed again before he and Jack left the house. As soon as they left, the mood became very somber. If Janelle hadn't been there, the family might not have eaten at all. But she reminded them that Fenton still needed them to keep their energy up to find him, and so, they ate the breakfast she made for them. Trudy helped Janelle tidy up the kitchen while Laura and the boys went into the study. Frank and Joe immediately went to watching the Pollitt place while Laura gathered papers from the fax machine. She went into perusing everything Collig had sent, smiling at his message that two officers would be able to look at the route Fenton took.

Frank and Joe took turns at the telescope and working with their mom to figure out a plan to catch the crooks. Todd Hooper did call and gave Laura all the information she needed about the medicine and the pick-up. Frank was listening rather intently as she repeated the information back to Todd, making sure she got it right. Joe was trying to listen while looking through the telescope. All three were slightly surprised that an opioid was one of the ingredients, but it did make sense why the gang might try to steal it and sell it as an opioid overseas.

No sooner had Laura thanked Todd for the information and hung up the phone than Joe let out a yelp. She and Frank were by his side instantly.

"What is it?" they both asked.

Jow turned to them, mouth wide. "I think, I think someone's living in the Pollitt place!"

"That's impossible!" blurted Frank as he quickly took a look through the telescope. His own mouth dropped in shock. Joe was right! He could clearly see at least three figures wandering around the Pollitt place before one went into the house! He glanced at his mother. "You'd, you'd better see this." Laura went to look through the telescope and gasped.

The next instant, she was lunging for the phone and dialing Collig's number. As soon as he answered, she explained the entire situation.

"Well, I can't send anymore men out there, but I can look into if the place really has been sold. Let me call you right back."

"Thanks Ezra." Laura hung up the phone and placed her chin on her hands after telling the boys what Collig said.

"What should we do?" asked Joe.

Frank's mind was running a mile a minute. "We could check it out ourselves," he began slowly. "This very well could be Snattman's way of trying to cover up Dad's disappearance."

Joe gasped. "Those people could be his guards, and he's in the house!" Frank nodded solemnly.

Laura pursed her lips. "It's definitely an idea." She glanced at them. "We should wait for Collig's call. If this is Snattman's way of covering up your father's disappearance, then maybe we can plan around this."

Joe leaned in. "How would we do that?"

She held up two fingers. "It's always best to have two plans, and even to be able to think on your feet. Our first plan should be to try and flush out Snattman from the Pollitt place and save your father then. The second plan would involve the medicine, provided they don't make their move before we do." The boys gritted their teeth.

"Let's hope they don't or we at least find out what their plans really are," said Frank.

Laura nodded. "Yes, let's hope." They jumped when the telephone rang. Laura quickly picked it up and put it on speaker phone. "Ezra, what do you have for me?"

"Snattman has not sold the house, so I have no clue who's living there at this moment."

"Some of his gang!" blurted Frank and Joe.

"Oh hi boys. You think so?"

"It's the only logical explanation," began Frank.

"And it's the perfect cover for keeping Dad hidden!" said Joe.

"That would seem very likely, but I don't have any men available to check it out."

"We could go," said Joe quickly. "Besides, since Frank and I aren't cops, we might get a little further in finding out information."

"Uh, that . . . is a good point. What do you say, Laura? These are your boys, and this is practically your case now."

Laura glanced at Frank and Joe. Joe mouthed the word please. She smiled sadly. "I really wish school was out already so your friends could go with you."

Frank glanced at the clock and snapped his fingers. "But Mom, we have the perfect cover! Joe and I could go out for a picnic at Willow Grove and hike to the Pollitt place!"

"And we could look for clues to Dad while we're at it!"

Laura nodded, impressed. "That is a great cover, Frank. Good thinking!"

"And knowing who his parents are, well, these apples didn't fall far from the tree," said Collig. Frank and Joe beamed.

Laura thought a moment. "Alright, you two may have a picnic in Willow Grove. But if you're not back by the time school is out, or if you haven't texted me by then, I'm sending your friends, Collig, and the Coast Guard after you."

Joe grinned. "Nothing like blowing this case sky high like getting ourselves captured, huh?"

"Well I do have the satisfaction of knowing where you are going, compared to your father. And I do have the telescope aimed at the Pollitt place, aso I can still keep an eye on you."

Frank nodded solemnly. "That's true."

"Well Ezra, we shall call you, or, well, more like I shall, once we've found out anything about the people staying there."

"Sounds good. I'll be on standby, and see if I can't get a few other men too."

"Thanks Ezra. Talk to you later."

"Bye Laura, bye boys."

"Bye Chief!" Collig hung up, followed by Laura.

She glanced at Frank and Joe. "Let's get that picnic set up for you and get you two on the road." The boys nodded and followed their mother down the stairs and into the kitchen. Janelle and Trudy were still chatting away, but upon hearing the boys' errand, were willing to help set up the picnic, though Trudy begrudgingly did so. In a few moments, both boys had their motorcycles ready, Frank had the food in his trunk while Joe had packed a miniature detective's kit in his. After a loving embrace from their mother and well wishes from both Trudy and Janelle, the boys were off. But as they drove, they couldn't help but wonder, what would they find? Who did they see through the telescope? Would they still be there? Would they find their dad? One thing was for sure, their hearts were pounding as they raced towards the Pollitt place, and they were determined to find something, anything, that could help crack this case wide open.


	13. Investigating the Pollitt Place

Frank and Joe made it to Willow Grove in record time. They unpacked the picnic, but couldn't really eat, they were worried about their father and were imagining all sorts of scenarios that could go wrong at the Pollitt Place. But their minds were quickly taken off of that as text after text from their friends came in. Everyone was now on their lunch break and wanted the latest news from the Hardys. The Hardys replied, giving what information they had and where they were currently, before finally getting some food into their systems.

"Hey Frank?" said Joe as a thought hit him.

"Hmm?" Frank was currently chewing on a roast beef sandwich.

"Do you think Mr. Drew felt this way when he didn't hear back from Mrs. Drew?"

Frank's head snapped up. He swallowed his bite before answering, "Most, most likely."

"Right," said Joe before taking another bite.

"We're going to find him Joe, we have to."

Joe merely nodded while he chewed. "Yeah, Nancy wasn't old enough to help find her."

Frank nodded. "There's that too." There was a moment's silence while the two ate.

"Mom's pretty tough," said Joe softly. Frank glanced at him. "She lost her best friend, and now her husband is missing."

"She knows the risks, Joe."

"Yeah, but she still hasn't been able to talk about Mrs. Drew, not even to Nancy."

Frank shrugged. "Maybe Mr. Drew and Nancy aren't ready yet."

"Do you think they ever will be?"

Frank pursed his lips. "Maybe, I don't know when, but it could be soon, it has been six years."

"Yeah," muttered Joe before taking another bite. The two finished their picnic in silence. They had started picking up the picnic when another thought hit Joe. "Do you think we'll ever get to see Nancy?"

Frank paused as he picked up some trash. "I hope so." He turned and grinned at Joe. "If we don't get a chance soon, we might have to take a trip out there for a summer."

Joe grinned back. "And we'll keep it a surprise." He waggled his eyebrows. "Maybe we can solve the mystery of if Nancy likes you back while we're there."

"Hey!" Frank tossed a wrapper at Joe. The two chuckled and quickly finished cleaning up. The teasing lightened the mood a bit, but the upcoming task still seemed a bit daunting. Joe pulled out two foldable magnifying glasses and handed one to Frank before the two made sure their bikes were locked and began to search the immediate area. They made their way back to where they had found the Queen, but only did a half hour search, the Pollitt place was more important. They didn't find anything in that half hour search, so set off for the Pollitt place once Frank had texted their mother to let her know they were going to be there in a few minutes. During the walk to the Pollitt place, they kept a sharp eye out for their father's car or anything that might be a clue to his location. They were fast approaching the Pollitt place and had yet to find anything. The two glanced at each other before entering the property, they hoped that the house and the people living there would offer up a clue.

The boys found a bush to crouch behind. They wanted to scout the place to make sure they weren't walking into a trap. A minute later, two men walked into view. Their mouths dropped as they looked at each other in surprise. They recognized one of those men, it was the man they were looking for, Red Jackley! He had the beginnings of a beard, but there was no mistaking him. The other man they didn't recognize, but deduced it was another member of Snattman's gang. They became very still when the two men started talking.

"I'm telling you Red, we should kill that detective! What in the world is Snattman thinking?" Frank and Joe were startled by the revelation, so their father was a prisoner of Snattman and his gang! Frank quickly pulled out his phone and hit record. He only hoped he could catch the whole conversation. Joe quickly followed suit. They glanced at each other. Hopefully no one tried to contact them either.

Red whacked the guy's head. "Snattman has his way of doing things, you jerk. He didn't take us in to kill anyone, and we're not about to start now."

"But that detective knows everything, he saw and heard everything!" the other guy whined.

"No duh, why do you think we captured him, you idiot? If we can't convince that detective to call off the case, Snattman is going to get Ali to shanghai him, strand him on some island or something. By the time he gets back, if he gets back to America, we'd have been able to get a few more jobs done and be set for a few years. Besides, I still have that Applegate treasure hidden well, that will help us quite a bit."

The other guy scoffed. "Too bad you didn't have that car hidden well, those boys found it in no time." Red whacked him again. "Ow!"

"You seriously think we were going to keep that car? Sure, we could have repainted it, but even then it's far too noticeable. That's why I stole it, to get the heat off us and get the police to focus on the theft of that and the Applegate treasure. Seriously, don't you know how to think?" Red groaned and threw up his hands. Meanwhile Frank and Joe grinned at each other. They got a confession! Now hopefully they could find out the location of their father and the Applegate treasure.

The other guy held up his finger. "Well, I did have one thought."

Red sighed and rolled his eyes. "And what's that?"

"If Snattman wants that detective to give into his demands instead of killing him, why don't we threaten his family?"

Red rubbed his chin. "Hmm, that's actually not a bad idea. We'll have to run it by Snattman, but, yeah, that's not a bad idea. Looks like you're finally putting that brain to good use, Klein." Frank's and Joe's eyes widened, oh no. Frank quickly pulled his phone down and turned off the recording. Joe quickly turned his off too. They quickly pocketed their phones and crept away. When they were out of sight of the two men, they got up. They only took a few steps forward when they heard a loud snap.

"Hold it right there! Don't you move a muscle!"

Both boys paused and winced as they looked down. Joe had stepped on a stick. He mouthed "sorry" to Frank. Frank didn't pay much attention, his brain was whirling. These guys couldn't find out they were Fenton's sons! Then a brilliant idea hit Frank. He mouthed "Masons" to Joe. Joe blinked for a second before it dawned on him what Frank wanted him to do. He grinned and gave a slight nod in reply.

"Turn around, slowly."

The boys turned around and faced Red Jackley and his accomplice aiming guns at them.

"Who are you two, and what are you doing here?" barked Red.

"We were just having a picnic and went for a stroll in the area," said Frank casually.

"We didn't know there was anyone living in that old haunted house," said Joe with a shrug. "Sorry to have bothered you."

The men glanced at each other and lowered their guns a bit. Red turned back to them. "But who are you?"

"I'm Adam Mason, and this is my brother Greg." Joe held up a hand in greeting. "And who may I ask are you?" Joe had to restrain himself from bursting out laughing, Frank was doing a superb job at impersonating Adam Mason.

"Mason, eh?" said Red. "Sons of Richard Mason, I presume?"

"Oh look, Adam, someone who knows who our dad is!"

Red and Klein looked between them, bewildered. "Uh, yeah, we know who he is. Why wouldn't we?" said Red.

"Because we keep hearing Fenton Hardy this, Fenton Hardy that," blurted Joe with a grumble.

Frank scoffed. "Which is always followed by, why can't you be more like Freddy and Johnny Hardy?"

"Wait, what? Freddy and Johnny? Don't you mean Frank and Joe?" said Red. The boys blinked rapidly to hide their horrified shock. So the gang did know their names!

"Oh, sorry, you're right, Frank and Joe are their real names, Freddy and Jonny are just our nicknames for them," said Frank with a wave of his hand.

"What kind of nicknames are that?" asked Klein.

"Oh, you know, short for Freaky Freddy and Jumbo Johnny," said Frank with a shrug. Red nodded, he apparently bought it.

Joe scowled. "Man, they really get on my nerves!" He looked at Red and Klein. "Now why did you have to go and ruin our perfectly good day by mentioning them?"

Red completely lowered his gun. "Can I ask you a question?"

Frank and Joe glanced at each other before looking back at him. "What?"

"Do you think you could get those two out here?"

The boys' hearts were pounding, they knew where this was going and figured it was their best shot at saving Dad and capturing the gang. Their mom might not like it, but they knew she would understand what an opportunity this was. Frank narrowed his eyes. "Maybe, why?"

"Because I have a proposition for you. If you can get those nasty Hardys out here, say, Sunday night, I'll pay you well for it."

Frank rubbed his chin. "An interesting proposition. How much are you offering?"

"A thousand each," said Red.

Klein looked at him in shock. "What? But . . ."

"Sh!" hissed Red. He turned back to the boys. "So, what do you say?"

"May we have a moment to discuss this?"

Red shrugged. "Sure."

"Thank you." The boys huddled with their backs to the men. "Think we should?" whispered Frank. The boys knew at least some basic sign language, and Frank did not want the men to know what they were actually planning. He quickly signed "best chance to set up trap".

"Well, it would get rid of those pesky Hardys," said Joe. He signed, "might be our only one".

Frank nodded. "And we would get some money."

"Right." The two turned and faced the men.

"Alright, we'll do it," Frank told them.

Red grinned and held out his hand. "Perfect."

Frank shook it. "It's a deal then."

"It is. Now remember, get them here Sunday night around seven. Once we've got them in the house, we'll pay you the money."

"Why can't we do it tomorrow night, or tonight even?" asked Joe.

"I think you would need a little more time to come up with a way to get them here," replied Red. "And we have plans for both nights."

Frank nodded. "Fair enough." He snuck a glance at the house. He wanted to take a quick look around and see if their father had left any clues. "So, Sunday night at seven, got it."

Red's smile got bigger, and a bit crueler. "Perfect. Now, be on your way."

"Real quick though," said Frank as he raised his hand. "May I have a drink of water?"

"Oh yeah, me too, I'm parched," said Joe, rubbing his neck.

Red sighed. "Oh, alright, come on." He led them into the house. Both boys kept a sharp eye out for any clues that Fenton was being held there, something he could have left behind or a sign. But they didn't notice anything. Red took two glasses down and set them by the sink. "Help yourselves." He went and sat down at the breakfast table.

"Thanks," chorused the boys and each grabbed a glass. Frank turned on the faucet and filled his cup up before letting Joe fill up his. The two shared a glance. They had to figure out some way of diverting Red's attention so they could look for clues.

"Hey, uh, Greg, right?"

Joe turned to face him. "Yeah?"

"Doesn't Joe Hardy have blond hair? Don't you have red hair?"

Frank scoffed. "I told you not go blonde."

"Oh shut up." Joe looked at Red. "Yeah, I have natural red hair, but I like dying it every summer, try out different colors and see what I like. Guess blonde is now off the list."

Red smirked. "I like changing my hair color too. It's actually kind of fun."

Joe shot Frank a look as he went and sat down at the table. "Oh look, someone who gets it." He turned back to Red. "What are your favorite colors so far?" Frank took the opportunity to take a quick glance around for any clues. His hand brushed against the counter as he took a little step back, and that's when he felt it.

"Well . . . it varies," said Red. Frank made sure Red's focus was more on Joe before taking a quick glance at the indention on the counter. It was faint, but it was distinctly Fenton Hardy's symbol with an arrow pointing down underneath it. Now, all he needed was an excuse to get down. Using one foot, he undid his shoelaces as he finished drinking the water, his eyes on Red.

"Well, now that was a great discussion," said Red getting up from the table, "but I need you two finished and out of here."

Frank held up his glass with a smile. "All done here." He placed it next to the sink.

"Give me a moment," said Joe before drinking from his glass.

"Hey Red!"

Red groaned and rolled his eyes. He pointed at Joe, but he looked at Frank. "Make sure your brother finishes that quickly and sets his cup by the sink. I want you two out of here ASAP." He glanced down. "Oh, and your shoes are untied."

Frank looked at his shoes. "What? Again?"

"Guess it's time for new shoes," said Joe with a shrug.

"Red!"

"Ugh, just hurry it up!" said Red before he left the room. The boys jumped into action. Frank dropped to his knees and began feelings around under the cabinets. Joe got up from the table and walked slowly to the sink to make sure no one could see what Frank was doing. Joe was just halfway to the sink when Frank's fingers grasped something. He pulled it out, and realized with a start it was a wallet. He quickly pocketed it and tied his shoes. Joe had placed his cup by the sink by this time. Frank rose and nodded at Joe. The two walked out of the kitchen, and then out of the house. Red and Klein were muttering off to the side, but Red saw them and nodded.

"Remember, Sunday at seven!"

The boys each gave him a thumbs up. "Got it!" They walked rather casually away from the house, btu as soon as they were out of sight of the house, they broke into a run. Joe reached the motorbikes first, but he just about fell on the ground, laughing.

He got up when Frank got close. "And the Oscar for best impersonation of Adam Mason goes to, Frank Hardy!" Frank merely smiled as he pulled out the wallet his found. Joe gasped and nearly lunged at it. "That's Dad's wallet!"

Frank opened as he nodded, Fenton's driver's license was still in it. "We now have definite proof that Dad is there. We need to get home and let Mom and Chief Collig know."

"Right." Joe quickly began getting ready to go while Frank shot a quick text to their mother before getting himself ready. They took off for home, both hoping it would be all over soon, and wondering what was gang's plans for that night and the next, but were assured that nothing would happen to their father until they too had been captured.


	14. Plans and Cars

The Hardys rushed home and burst into the house. They startled their aunt who had been reading in the living room.

"Goodness gracious! Is the circus in town or something?"

"Where's Mom?" they blurted.

"Still in your father's study," said Gerturde pointing up the stairs. The boys dashed up the stairs and burst into their father's study.

"Oh, hang on Ezra, the boys just got back." She glanced at them expectantly.

"Dad's in the Pollitt place! Snattman has him, and Red Jackley's working with Snattman!" they blurted at the same time.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! How do you know that?" came Collig's voice over the line.

"We saw Red at the Pollitt place!" said Joe.

"He was talking with another guy named Klein about stealing Chet's car and the Applegate's treasure, plus working for Snattman!"

"OK, but do you have any real proof that your father is even still at the Pollitt place?" asked Collig.

Frank pulled out the wallet. "We do." He laid it on the desk.

Laura snatched it up and gasped. "Ezra, they, they found Fenton's wallet!"

"What? How?"

The boys recounted their story. There was a moment's silence as Laura's eyes were wide with shock. She looked like she was about to say something, then thought better of it. Frank seemed to have been right, she didn't like it, but did see it as the opportunity it was. After a moment of blinking, her eyes were back to normal.

"So, they know your names, where you live, and what hair color you should have, but they didn't know exactly what you looked like?" asked Collig incredulously.

"Yup," said the boys with a nod of their heads.

"There is a reason why we try to keep their pictures out of newspapers and off social media, Ezra," said Laura, though when she said social media, she shot a specific glare at Joe. Joe smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, I know, but, there should be a picture of them somewhere, or at least a member of the gang should have seen them."

"Maybe it was just Snattman who really knows what we look like?" said Frank slowly.

"And then gave out very general descriptions of you? I'm thinking it might be more likely that they've been around town, asking questions about you. Most people wouldn't give a very detailed description, and they definitely wouldn't have pictures of you hanging about in their wallets. But I still find it odd that they wouldn't try to find out more information on Fenton and you."

"Well, based on what we've been hearing about Snattman, he's starting to sound what most people would call a gentleman criminal," said Frank.

Joe shrugged. "Maybe, or maybe Snattman is too busy planning crimes instead of stopping Dad."

"And catching him yesterday must have been really lucky for him."

Joe thought a moment. "But, Dad's smarter than that. He wouldn't have just up and let them capture him either."

"You're right," said Laura, "it must have been just a bad coincidence." The boys nodded.

"Well, the point is, Fenton's been caught and we have to get him out of there." There was a slight pause. "Laura, you alright with the boys doing this?"

Laura let out a breath. "No, not really, but this seems to be the only way we might have before the medicine gets here."

"Oh, speaking of, Chief, do you know of anything that's happening tonight and tomorrow night that the gang might be interested in?" asked Frank.

"Not that I can think of, unless they planned on making a big haul over the weekend before getting out of here. I mean, that was part of the reason why I called, I finally got the information on the Marco Polo."

"And?" chorused Laura and the boys.

"It's leaving Monday morning," replied Collig, "and get this, it's not the only boat that's leaving that morning."

Frank and Joe's eyes widened. "The boat we saw by the Pollitt place!"

"That's what we think. Sure, it's not the only boat leaving Monday morning, but based on your descriptions, it's the only one that matches. The rest that are leaving Monday morning are either passenger ships like the Marco Polo or the regular cargo ships."

"So while Ali Singh gets the loot out on the Marco Polo," began Frank.

"Snattman and the rest of the gang are getting out on the other boat, to their next destination!" said Joe.

"Almost like pirates!"

Joe shot Frank a grin. "So, does that mean Snattman is Captain Hook and we're Peter Pan?"

Frank returned the grin. "Now all we need is our crocodile."

Collig let out a grown. "And what, Sam Radley is Tinkerbell?"

The three Hardys laughed. "Don't ever tell him that," said Laura.

Frank gasped and snapped his fingers. "No, but we do need to check out where that secret tunnel comes out at!"

Joe gasped as his eyes widened. "You're right! That's probably where they get the loot out!"

"Exactly. We're probably going to need the help of the Coast Guard on this, Chief."

Collig let out a breath. "Certainly sounds like it, I don't have enough men. I'm going to have to call in the State Police at this rate."

"That would be best," said Laura. "After all, these men have apparently been stealing from all over the state."

"At least New York City for sure," said Frank.

"That is true, and that leads me to the second part of why I called you. We found Fenton's car."

The three gasped and said in unison, "Where?"

"Just a few miles north of Willow Grove, they just called it in. Do you have a spare key?"

"Yes," said Laura.

"Good, I'm going to finish up a couple things here and I'll meet you there."

"OK," was all the Hardys said before Collig ended the call. Laura glanced at the boys as she hung up the phone before the three dashed down the stairs.

"Goodness gracious, the circus is in town! The Elephant Brigade just made their way to the front door!" blurted Trudy when Laura paused to grab her purse.

"They found Fenton's car," was all Laura said before she led the way out the door.

Trudy stood in shock for a minute before dashing after them. "Wait for me!" Frank waited for her and made sure the door was locked as she dashed to the family car. Once Frank was in, the family was off. There was a tense silence as Laura drove through the town.

"There's the Pollitt place," whispred Joe when they got near it. Frank and Trudy shot a glance at it as they sped past.

"They had better be taking good care of Fenton, or else," muttered Trudy.

"Yeah, nothing says being taken good care of like an all-expenses paid trip to India," muttered Frank drily.

"Or else hell hath no fury like a woman's," said Joe at the same time.

"What?" blurted Laura and Trudy.

"It's 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'," said Frank as he swatted at Joe. Joe ducked with a grin, and Frank's hand sailed over his head.

Laura chuckled. "What was the point you were trying to make, Joe?"

"Oh, just that, if those crooks got Aunt Trudy mad enough, we would just have to send her in. They wouldn't know what hit them!"

Trudy huffed as she crossed her arms. "Oh no they wouldn't." The other three chuckled. Trudy talked the talk, but tried to avoid walking the walk, until she got really mad.

Laura gasped. "There it is." They glanced out the left, there were a couple of police cars near an almost secluded sedan. Laura pulled into a spot next to them. Almost as soon as Laura turned off the car, the four were out. They walked to an officer who waved to them. They recognized him as one of Collig's best men and someone the boys had encountered numerous times.

Conrad Reilly waved again as they stopped. "Hello Mrs. Hardy, Miss Hardy, Frank, Joe, I just got a call from the chief, he said he'll be here in a couple of minutes and to wait until he got here."

Laura nodded. "I understand."

Joe let out a huff. "That's going to be hard."

"You're telling me," mumbled Trudy.

"How did you find my dad's car?" asked Frank.

Conrad shrugged as he turned to look at the sedan. "Well, the chief told us that your dad has been investigating the goings-on at the Pollitt place and that he was last heard from when he was on his way back home from New York City. I figured we should check out the parks around Willow Grove first. We went a bit north and thoroughly searched the grounds. We came here, and it actually took us a while before we found it. We were getting ready to leave when Franklin over there enoticed something off about one bush and well, there it was. I called in the plates to the front desk to make sure this was in fact registered to Fenton Hardy, and when the report came back in the positive, we called the chief immediately." He turned back to the family. "And then he called you."

"Hooray for Officer Franklin!" cheered Joe. Franklin fidgeted with his glasses and blushed at the praise.

Laura smiled. "A great many thanks to you both."

Conrad tipped his hat. "Our pleasure, ma'am."

"Oh good, there's Ezra," said Trudy as the police chief's car pulled into the park. Collig got out of his car and approached the group.

"Good job Reilly, Franklin."

"Thank you sir," the men chorused with a quick salute.

"Did you pull any fingerprints off?"

THey shook their heads, though Franklin replied with, "Only ones we found were Mr. Hardy's, sir."

Collig nodded. "Very well, then we won't need gloves. Laura, if you and the boys want to take a look through the inside and open the trunk." Laura nodded before leading the way to the car, her keys out. She unlocked it and got into the front seat. While Frank got into the backseat and Joe went around to the passenger side, Laura unlocked the trunk and the three policemen came forward to look through it. She then went to looking through the compartment on the side of the door and the one just behind the stick.

"There's nothing back here," aid Frank with a sigh.

"I've got nothing too," said Joe.

Laura sat back down in the driver's seat and thought a moment. "Oh!" She reached up and pulled open a little flap on the visor. Frank and Joe gasped when she pulled out a notepad and a pencil. "Joe, there's one on your side too, see if your father left anything in there." Joe quickly went to work while Frank peered over their mother's shoulder as she opened the notebook. The majority of it were notes on Snattman and the Pollitt place, the majority of which Frank realized had been info he and Joe had been able to get for him.

"Aha!" said Joe. He handed a folded piece of paper to his mother. The two watched as she opened it. It was a message from their father! It looked like he was telling Laura that he would hand the case over, but the boys knew that wasn't true. It was just a ruse in case anyone found it before he sent it. The symbols they had come to associate with his signature were all over the message along with a series of numbers.

"What do those mean?" asked Frank, pointing at the numbers.

Laura smiled at them. "What do you think? Put those detective brains to work."

Frank and Joe looked at the paper for a little bit before gasped. "That's the code! The number correlate to a word!"

Laura smiled. "Only a part of it, though. Here, pick out those words using just those numbers."

They did, and blinked in confusion. "Heading the too way . . . what?"

"That, that makes no sense," said Joe.

"That's the point. Now, think about the symbols, where are they placed?"

"That too, and police, and it . . ." said Joe slowly. Frank rubbed his chin, thinking hard. What was their father telling them, what was their mother seeing?

"That's to suggest it's either a part of a word, or the word's a part of the longer word."

"So, to, pol, and it?" said Joe.

"Wait, what were those last too?" said Frank.

"Pol, it . . ." Joe paused and the two glanced at each other wide-eyed. "Pollitt!"

Laura clapped her hands. "Good job! You're getting it!"

"Oh mom, why can't you just come out and tell us!"

Laura chuckled. "Oh, alright, since you got most of it figured out." She pointed to each of the words as she read the hidden message. "Heading to Pollitt place. Clue in secret spot."

"Secret spot? What secret spot?"

Laura pointed to the back seat. "Frank, there's a hidden compartment under the seat. You're going to have to open the flap and then open the board."

Joe looked at her in shock. "What?" Frank follwed her directions, and a rather large gap appeared under the back seat. Joe's mouth dropped and let out a soft squak as Frank reached in a pulled out a box. He handed it to his mother who opened it. Inside were Fenton's work cell, personal cell, a picture of the family, an extra wallet, a camera with a thubdrive attached to it, a couple of ziplock bags, a couple pairs of gloves, a foldable magnifying glass, a miniature fingerprint kit, and a pair of tweezers. Laura took out the camera and handed it to Joe before going back to rummaging through the ziploc bags. She held up two, one had a fine powder in it, the other had a few fingerprints. She placed those on the seat and handed the box back to Frank.

"Put that back in and close it up, I think we have we need."

"The camera?" said Joe as Frank quickly put the box back. Laura took it from him and went through the pictures. Joe looked over her shoulder as she went through them, and gasped. "Whoa!" Frank was back looking over the seat, and his own eyes widened.

"Whoa is right! Those are pictures of Snattman at the Pollitt place!"

"Get Ezra, we need to show him this. And we're going to need to run these fingerprints." Frank quickly jumped out of the car to find the chief. Joe picked up the bag with the fingerprints.

"Mom, this is more than one clue. Which one was Dad telling you and Jack about?"

"Probably the pictures, and he went back twice to get more evidence."

"And they caught him the second time," said Joe softly.

Laura nodded, then pulled him in for a hug. "And we're going to finish this case for him because, according to this note he left, he was going to hand it over to the police. Of all the nerve." Joe chuckled. "Though, if I find out your father got captured because he had his nose to the ground and wasn't watching where he was going, he's going to be grounded." Joe burst out laughing at that one, right as Collig and Frank came to the front. They glanced at the two, wondering what was going on, but Laura turned their attention to the clues Fenton had left for them. Collig and his men left with them, letting the family take the car home. Laura drove Fenton's car with the boys as her passengers, while Trudy got behind the wheel of the family car. Joe told Frank about Laura's quip about grounding Fenton, and the three laughed on the way home. But as soon as they got into the house, a new wave of anxiety hit them. They were getting close, they could feel it. Plus, catching the gang and saving Fenton all on Sunday night was going to be cutting it close. But until then, all they could do was wait.

(Just a heads up, the Nancy Drew mystery has hit a bit of a snag, coming up with clues Josiah's way is a little harder than it looks, lol. The other three were a little easier, and I do have one line at least for this fourth one, but, I don't know what the other three lines will be yet. It's going to need a little more thinking. In the meantime, the Hardys are going to get a little closer to solving their mysteries. It is almost over, but there's a little bit more they need to do before it's officially over. After that, it's on to the Old Mill. XD)


	15. Saturday Swim

The group converged on the Hardy residence as soon as school was out. Everyone wanted to know the latest news in the search for Fenton Hardy. Frank and Joe took their friends to their room and gave them the entire tale. Their friends stared at them in shock until they finished their story.

"Seriously? They didn't recognise you?" blurted Pete.

Chet burst out laughing. "Oh boy, wait until the Masons hear about this!"

"It might be best that they don't find out," said Slim.

"You guys were real lucky," said Biff.

Joe nodded vigorously. "Boy, don't we know it."

"And finding both your dad's wallet and his car was a real break-through!" said Jerry.

"You're sure nothing's happened to him?" asked Jack, seemingly more worried than the others about Mr. Hardy's disappearance. Frank and Joe figured it made sense though since Jack's mom died some years before, just like Nancy, and was really close to his dad.

"So far," said Frank. "Snattman's sure to keep him alive until Sunday, that's for sure."

"But, your dad wrote that note saying he was going to hand it over to the police?" asked Phil.

"Yeah," said Tony, "the three of you never leave off a case until you've caught the bad guys."

Joe explained. "We thought the same, until Mom informed us that those contents were just a ruse in case one of his enemies got the note before Mom did. It was just a way to get the message across to Mom, there was really no way he would give up on this case, especially after getting that big of a clue."

"And getting closer to catching these guys," Frank continued. Frank nodded at Joe. "Besides, we would have done the same ourselves. I guess we were still reeling from our close encounter at the Pollitt place that we didn't even think about it." Joe nodded, that's definitely the reason why he didn't think of it.

"Alright then, so this thing is almost finished!" cheered Slim.

Chet then sidled over to Frank. "So, um, when are you going to create your own little code?"

Frank narrowed his eyes, catching the hint. "Well, some time in the future, Joe and I are going to have a talk about it." He put extra emphasis when he said Joe.

Chet waggled his eyebrows. "Uh-huh."

"Chet!" The others chuckled. "Nancy might come up with her own code," continued Frank.

"With her friends?" asked Phil a little too hopefully.

Frank blinked. "Uh . . ."

"Come on man, Nancy's gotta know some cute girls," said Tony.

"Hey, let's worry about that after we've solved this mystery?" said Joe.

"I know, man," said Chet, "but you can't think straight if you're too worried either."

The boys glanced at each of their friends and smiled. Frank chuckled. "You're right Chet. Thanks, you guys."

Joe clapped Chet on the back. "Yeah, thanks man, didn't seem like it at first."  
Biff shrugged. "Of course not, we talked about it on the way over here."

"And after all you've done for us, it's the least we could do," said Tony.

Tears filled Joe's eyes. "You guys are the greatest friends."

Jerry shrugged. "We do have your prime example to look up to."

Frank snorted. "We're not the best."

"Well, you're the best in town," said Pete.

Slim nodded. "Can't argue with that."

Joe grinned. "Guess not."

"So, is there anything else we can you help with?" asked Phil.

Frank nodded. "There are a few more things." He glanced at Tony. "Could you take us out on the Napoli tomorrow?"

Tony pulled out his phone and checked his calendar. He nodded as he pocketed it. "Yup, I'm all clear tomorrow. Why do you need it?"

Joe pointed at Biff and then himself. "Biff and I found a secret passage out to the sea . . ."

Chet gasped. "And you're going to look for the exit point!"

"Are you planning on getting the Coast Guard into this?" asked Jerry.

"It would make sense," said Biff. "Have all your bases covered."

Joe nodded. "Exactly."

"It would be best, besides, Chief Collig found that boat we saw."

Biff's eyes widened. "He did?"

Frank nodded. "It's scheduled to leave on Monday, the same day that the Marco Polo leaves."

"Whoa," chorused the guys.

"We really are cutting this close," said Biff.

Joe nodded. "That we are. A little too close, but, this is all we've got to work on."

"So . . ." began Chet, "if you two are the Masons, who are going to be you?"

Frank shook his head. "We'll be the only ones going. We'll have a message with us for our dad, but, I'm betting they might have figured out by now who we are."

"What makes you say that?" asked Jerry.

"Have any of you been approached by some guys, asking about us?" asked Joe.

The group glanced at each other questioningly before looking back at the Hardys and shaking their heads no. Then Pete gasped and snapped his fingers. "No, I wasn't but there were a couple of guys who were talking with Mr. Stevenson the other day after school. And I think they came back today!"

Joe gritted his teeth. "They might get pictures of us this time for sure."

Frank nodded. "Mr. Stevenson called my mom about that before you guys showed up. Can you remember what they looked like?"

Pete thought a moment. "Well, one of those guys was pretty hard to forget. Had a head full of red hair. As a matter of fact, when I was passing by, I almost thought it was the Masons he was talking to, and I decided to get a closer look. They were apparently just finishing up their conversation, so I have no clue what they were talking about at first, but I do know they were finishing up about the theater. Apparently both the red-headed guy and Mr. Stevenson had a fondness for it."

Joe looked at Frank. "Huh, who knew."

Frank shrugged and turned back to Pete. "What else?"

Pete thought another moment. "Well, the other guy had brown hair and looked like he could be a sailor, though he was kind of on the scrawny side. The redheaded fellow had a mustache and looked pretty muscular. The sailor guy looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but there, and the redhead looked like he could have belonged."

Frank nodded. "Sounds like Red Jackley and Klein alright."

"Good thing the chief is checking into his records," said Joe.

There was a moment of silence. Chet cleared his throat. "Um, well, is there anything else?"

Frank and Joe thought a moment before both shaking their heads. "I think that covers it," said Frank.

"I can't think of anything else," said Joe.

"Well I can," said Tony. Everyone looked at him. "What time do you want to head out in the Napoli, and is anyone else coming with us? I can only fit six." The boys quickly made their plans. Biff was definitely going to go with them, as was Phil and Chet. Jack, Jerry, Slim, and Pete would come back to the house for the daily watch of the Pollitt place. They were to meet up at the Hardy house at eight and separate from there.

At six o'clock the next morning, Frank found himself woken up by the phone ringing. When the third ring came and his mother hadn't answered it, Frank jumped out of bed and ran to the phone. He quickly picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Hi Frank, did I wake you?" came Chief Collig's voice on the line.

Frank stifled a yawn. "Oh, no, we were just waking up."

"Alright, well, I thought your mom would have answered it."

"So did I, to be honest," said Frank. "But, she and Aunt Trudy might have gone out to do some grocery shopping."

"You're not sure?"

"Well, no, I just got up and had to answer the phone."

Collig let out a sound that sounded like a mix of a chuckle and a sigh. "Oh, alright. Well, it's fine, I needed to talk to you anyhow."

"What's up?"

"Your guy Klein? I think he's Klein Connors, a man wanted in several counties in New York. Sending the information right now. And as soon as we get off, I'm calling the Coast Guard and the State Police. But first, I need you to see if this Klein is your guy."

"Right, uh, hang on a second." Frank put Collig on hold and dashed to FEnton's study, passing Joe on the way.

"What's up? Who's calling this early in the morning?" asked Joe as he followed his brother into the study.

"The chief is sending over some information on a guy who's name is Klein and wants us to make sure it's the same guy we saw at the Pollitt place," said Frank as he began pulling papers off the fax machine. Joe's eyes widened and walked over to his brother. They looked through the papers until they found a picture.

"Oh man, that's him all right," said Joe.

Frank nodded. "Definitely, looks like the chief pinned him on the first try." He dashed out to the hall, followed closely by Joe, and picked up the phone again. "Hey Chief, you still there?"

"Still here Frank."

"That's him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," the brothers chorused.

"Oh hi Joe. Perfect, and since we already know Jackley, Ali Singh, and Snattman are in on this, it's time to call in the calvary and the navy."

Joe snorted. "That's your nickname for the State Police and the Coast Guard?"

"Lot faster than saying Coast Guard and State Police all the time," said Collig with a chuckle. "I'll call back around five o'clock to set up a meeting to plan for Sunday night."

"Great," said Frank, "we're heading out to search for the gang's entrance from the sea."

"Perfect. Talk to you then."

"Sounds good, Chief. Bye!" the boys chorused. Frank hung up the phone, and the two dashed to their room and got dressed. They went off in search of their mother, and found a note. It confirmed Frank's theory that she and their aunt had gone grocery shopping, they had left early so the boys could have lunch while they were out. Frank and Joe got themselves some cereal and some eggs while they waited for their family to get back and their friends to arrive.

Laura and Trudy got back around seven, and the boys helped them pick up the groceries and fix their picnic lunch. At eight o'clock sharp, their friends had arrived. After making sure Jack, Jerry, Slim, and Pete were situated, they were off towards the docks. The boys were eager and determined to find that outlet, but were hoping and praying that none of the gang would catch them.

As soon as they reached the boathouse where the Napoli was docked, Biff and Phil went about helping Tony get the boat set up. Chet and the Hardys watched intently, the Hardys in particular. If they could, they were going to try and talk their parents, their aunt, or even their grandparents into getting them a boat for their birthdays. It would be so nice to have one. Besides, Grandma Dottie kept saying it was in their blood since she used to boat the entirety of Long Island as did their mother.

"Hey Frank, grab the gas can, will ya?" said Tony. Frank grabbed the can and made sure it was full while Joe and Chet untied the Napoli before all three jumped in. They were off! Phil had the map and got Tony to the cliff on which the Pollitt place sat. Tony cut off the engine while Phil pulled out oars and gave one to Biff. They rowed closer towards the cliff in silence while the Hardys and Chet kept an eye out for any boats nearby.

"So far, so good," whispered Joe.

"Let's hope our luck holds up and we can find that entrance," whispered Frank. The others nodded.

"Maybe Joe oughta switch with Phil since we were the ones who found it."

Tony nodded. "Besides, Phil's the best with a map, he can mark it." Phil grinned.

"Good idea," said Frank. Joe switched with Phil, leaving the others as lookout.

After a few minutes of hushed rowing, Joe whispered, "Look! Think that's it, Biff?"

Biff squinted at it. "Looks like it. Let's get closer." Joe nodded and they rowed the boat closer while the others watched with eager anticipation.

"There, I think I see it! Looks like an opening!" said Phil.

"I think that's it!" said Joe.

"Definitely looks like it," said Biff.

"Let's bank and make sure," said Frank. Biff and Joe rowed the boat to the shore, and Tony jumped out to pull it a little bit further up the bank. They others climbed out and followed him towards the spot they saw.

"It definitely looks like an opening," said Chet.

"Keep it down, we don't know if anyone's around," whispered Frank.

"Right, sorry." Chet shot him a sheepish grin.

"You're fine, just be careful." He turned to Biff and Joe. "Is this it?"

"I'm thinking it is," said Biff.

"I'm going in for a quick look," said Joe.

Frank grabbed his arm."But we don't know if there's anyone in there!" he hissed.

Joe shot him a mischievous grin. "Only one way to find out. Don't worry, big brother, I'll be careful. Biff, you coming?"

"Someone's got to keep an eye on you," quipped Biff.

Tony, Phil, and Chet snickered while Joe rolled his eyes and went in, followed by Biff. They came out a moment later.

"OK, Huck, let's go," blurted Joe.

"What?" asked Chet.

"I think Injun Joe's behind us," hissed Joe as he and Biff began walking towards the boat. Frank's eyes widened and ushered the others after them.

"What the . . ."

"Remember Tom Sawyer? There is someone in there!" hissed Frank.

"Then you and Joe need to get in the boat in case you need to hide!" whispered Tony. Frank nodded and dashed towards the boat. He and Joe had just got in when a shout was heard.

"Hey! What are you boys doing here?" Biff, Tony, Chet, and Phil turned slowly towards the owner of the voice while Frank and Joe hit the deck. The four saw a man with a gun aimed at them and raised their hands.

"We're sorry sir, we thought this beach was deserted!" said Tony.

"We were just exploring!" whined Chet. "Please don't shoot us!"

The guy glanced over each of them and the boat before lowering his gun. "Alright then, get on out of here! This is your only warning! If you come back here again, it won't end very prettily for you!"

"Yes sir!" chorused the boys and jumped into the boat. Biff stayed out to push the boat back out to sea before getting in himself. Tony revved up the engine and they were off. They didn't give the Hardys the all clear until they were safely back out at sea, and out of sight of the gunman.

"Whoo, that was close!" said Joe.

"Good thinking referencing Tom Sawyer," said Frank.

Joe grinned. "Thanks."

"But, did he see us?"

Chet scoffed. "You two were hidden so well I didn't see you and almost stepped on you!" They laughed.

"Well, we've found the entrance. Phil, got it marked?"

Phil shook his head. "Kinda hard to in a moving boat!"

Frank sighed and chuckled. "Tony, can you stop the boat long enough so Phil can mark the map?"

Tony chuckled. "Sure." He stopped the boat and Phil pulled out the map. Biff took off his socks, shoes, and shirt.

"Uh, Biff?" said Joe, right as his friend dived off the boat.

He came up and grinned at the others. "What? After all of this hard work, I think we deserve a little fun."

"I agree!" said Tony, quickly taking off his own socks, shoes, and shirt and diving in. Chet soon joined them with a whoop and a cannonball. Phil quickly returned the map to its spot in the hold before joining them as well.

"Frank, Joe, come on! The water's nice!" said Biff.

Joe glanced at Frank. Frank smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, why not." They joined their friends and enjoyed a little bit of relaxation. After a few minutes, Frank called it quits, they had to get home in time for Collig's phone call. They let themselves dry off for a few minutes before putting their shirts, socks, and shoes back on. As they raced back to the boathouse, Frank and Joe glanced back at the area the Pollitt house was at.

"Hang on Dad, we're coming."

(Updates are going to be a little slower this month, working on an original story to be published by the end of August. I'll still be working on this and the Nancy Drew until both are finished. Thanks for reading!)


	16. Finding Fenton

As soon as the boys got back to the Hardy residence, Frank and Joe made a mad dash into the house. They paused in surprise when they saw Janelle Radley and her children sitting with Trudy in the living room. Her two daughters, Samantha and Jordan, got up and hugged Frank and Joe.

"We're sorry to hear about your dad," said Jordan as she hugged Joe tightly.

"We want to help you get him back," Samantha said firmly.

Stephan, the youngest and the only boy, hopped off the sofa and marched up to the Hardys. "I want to beat up some bad guys too!" Janelle cleared her throat. Stephan groaned and crossed his arms. "But Mom won't let me."

Frank chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Thanks, Steph, but we'll leave fighting the bad guys to the police, alright? Though I'm sure there's something you can do to help."

"And the only way to find out what that is is to let them get upstairs and plan this rescue already," blurted Trudy.

"Mom's already in the study?" asked Joe.

"No duh. Sam and Jack are with her and Collig's already on the line."

The boys gasped and dashed up the stairs.

"Hey, wait for us!" blurted Chet as the rest of the group dashed up the stairs after them.

Frank and Joe burst into the study where their mother was sitting in their father's desk chair with Sam and Jack standing on either side. Jack, Jerry, Slim, and Pete seemed to have forgotten the telescope as they had been paying more attention to what was going on at the desk. They had jumped when the boys burst in. But Laura was soon across the room upon the entrance of her sons. She wrapped an arm around each boy and pulled them into a big hug. The boys were more than happy to return the hug.

"The boys just showed up, didn't they?" came Collig's voice over the phone.

Sam chuckled before answering. "You got that right, Ezra."

"Hi Chief!" called the boys.

"Hi Frank, Joe! I assume, I hope your trip was successful."

At that moment, the rest of the Hardys' friends came into the room and heard the question. Biff and Chet whooped.

"Oh boy, yes sir we did!" shouted Tony to be heard over the cheers.

"Ah, the whole gang is there! Wonderful! Now, tell us what you found."

The boys took turns telling about the whole trip, ending with the mostly relaxing swim.

"So you have it marked down, Phil?"

"Yes sir!" said Phil with a salute.

"You know he can't see you, right?" whispered Jerry. Phil grinned sheepishly as he brought his hand down.

"Tony, Biff, think you can find your way back to that cave in the dark?" asked Laura thoughtfully.

"I think so," said Biff.

"I'm pretty sure I can," said Tony.

Laura nodded. "Good."

"What are you thinking, Laura?" asked Collig.

Laura went back to the desk chair and sat down. "I'm thinking that the boys split up. Tony, Biff, and Phil will go with the Coast Guard and keep an eye on the cave. I think Jack, Jerry, Chet and I will go with you and the State Police to keep an eye on the road. Slim and Pete should be with Sam and Jack and keep an eye on things from the air."

"Wait, but who's going to pose as Frank and Joe?" asked Jack.

Laura sighed. "No one, none of you could pose as brothers, and none of you have blonde hair."

"But, I do," said Jerry, fingering his hair.

Laura shook her head. "No, Jerry, that's sandy-blonde, there is a difference. Besides, I'm sure they've figured out by now that it was Frank and Joe and not the Masons that visited yesterday." The boys glanced at Frank and Joe, who nodded vigorously. They too had come to that same conclusion. Snattman was no idiot.

"So then, you expect Frank and Joe to go in by themselves?" asked Chet incredulously.

Laura huffed. "I expect them to be very careful and get into the house without being seen to try and save their father."

The boys gasped. "Man, Mrs. Hardy, that's kind of a tall order," said Chet with a whistle as his eyes widened.

"We barely got away ourselves today!" blurted Biff.

Laura glanced at Sam and Jack. "Sam and Jack will provide a distraction. They'll fly over low, that should get their attention." She glanced at her sons. "And give you two enough time to get into the house. I don't expect you to get out of the house in time, you can try, but it's more likely that you'll have to find a hiding place and to text me every five minutes until we've captured the gang."

Joe looked at his mom, impressed. "That's a pretty good plan."

She smiled. "Thank you."

"Well it's the only one we have," said Collig. "Unless you boys have anything better."

The boys shook their heads as they approached the desk. "No," they chorused.

"The only one I had was for two of the guys to pose as us and try to sneak into the house once they had their backs turned," said Frank as he put his hands on the desk and leaned on it. "But since Mom came to the same idea we did, that Snattman would have figured it out that it had been us and we wouldn't get to use that trick again, well, this one works much better." He grinned at his mother. "Much much better."

She smiled ruefully. "But you two have to be extremely careful."

Frank and Joe nodded as they chorused, "We will."

Joe went to his mother and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry, it's going to work out, just you wait and see."

"You've always come up with the best plans," said Jack. "Joe's right, it will work."

"And we'll all be there to help!" shouted Tony.

"You got that right!" said Biff. He popped his knuckles. "If any of those crooks so much as hurt a hair on their heads, they'll feel my wrath."

That seemed to lift Laura's spirits a little. She chuckled. "Thank you all so very much." The boys gave firm nods.

"Well now that that's settled," broke in Collig, "Jack, Sam, you have to be over that house right at seven o'clock, not a minute later."

"You got it," they chorused.

"Which means that Slim and Pete have to be at the helipad no later than 6:30."

Slim and Pete nodded. "Right."

"Tony, Biff, Phil, you three are going to meet up with Chief Warrant Officer Robinson at the Coast Guard station at 6:45. Jack and Sam are going to fly over you after they've flown over the house, that will be the signal to head out and hopefully that the Hardys have gotten in unseen. Chet, Jerry, Jack, you're going to meet up with me and the State Police at the station at 6:30, we'll leave at 6:45."

"Yes sir!" chorused the boys.

"But I want to do something!" blurted a small voice.

"Stephan!" said Sam. He walked towards his son and crossed his arms. "You are not a part of this conversation."

"But I want to help!"

"So do I," said Jordan with her hands on her hips.

Laura snapped her fingers. "I know, you can keep an eye on the Pollitt Place!" Everyone glanced at her quizzically. She got up and patted the telescope. "You can watch all of the action from here, but you must watch out for anything. You're going to have to make sure the bad guys don't escape and that we do catch them all."

"But I want to be part of the action!" blurted Stephan.

"That's a brilliant idea!" blurted Collig. "If we have someone watching the house, we can be absolutely sure they're not going to try anything when we're not there. You can tell us everything you see."

Laura went to Stephan and got to his level. "What about it, Stephan? You can still be a part of the action. This is a very important part of the plan. You'll be able to tell us where the bad guys are so we can find them easier."

Stephan seemed to think for a moment before slowly nodding his head. "Oh, alright, I'll do it."

Laura gave him a big hug. "Thank you so much!"

"I'll come by later and get a radio set up so you can be connected to us at all times."

Stephan bounced. "Wait, I get to use the police radio?"

"That's right," said Collig.

"Sweet! This is going to be the best day ever!"

They went over the plan again, making sure everyone knew their parts and times well before Collig ended the call. Everyone went downstairs for dinner, Trudy and Janelle had ordered pizza. After dinner, they did a quick recap of the plan before everyone left. Except for the Radleys and Jack, they had planned to stay the night. Collig showed up a little after eight and set up the radio, giving the Radley children and Trudy a refresher course on how to use it. Once he left, they figured out how to accommodate everyone and went to bed. Frank and Joe stayed up a little later, whispering about the mystery.

"I can't believe it's almost all over," said Joe.

"I know," said Frank, "it's just been a little over a week."

"A lot has happened in that time."

Frank chuckled softly. "No kidding. But we still have to make sure the Tower treasure gets into Mr. Applegate's hands before we can officially say the case is closed."

Joe nodded. "Right." He turned over and propped himself up on one arm. "But one it's all over, what then?"

Frank shrugged. "We enjoy our summer, prepare for Grandpa Willie and Grandma Dottie, and, well, keep an eye out for any other mysteries." He glanced slyly at his brother. "That is, if you want to keep solving mysteries."

Joe grinned. "Are you kidding? Of course I want to. It's what we've always wanted, to solve mysteries like Dad." He turned onto his back. "It's just, some dangers are going to need some time getting used to, that's all."

"And better planning, not on Mom's part, our part. We have to start planning better. And speaking of plans, we'd better get to sleep, we have a long day tomorrow."

"No kidding," mumbled Joe. "I'm so nervous, I don't think I would ever fall asleep." But in a few minutes, both boys were sound asleep.

The next day at church, the boys prayed like they had never prayed before. They wanted everything to go well for that night. But that seemed to be the fastest part of the day. When they got home, they found that the wait was agonizing, even though they watched the house and their friends came over around lunch to try and help stave off the anxiety. But their friends got caught in the impatient waiting as time seemed to drag. Was Snattman telling Fenton how he was going to nab Frank and Joe the instant they showed up and that he had better give in to Snattman's demands, or else? Was he given enough food, or just enough to survive? Questions and wild scenario after wild scenario kept popping up in their vivid imaginations, driving up the anxiety quite a few notches.

Finally, six o'clock came and a quick supper. Once dinner was over, they split up. Sam and Jack took off with Slim and Pete towards the helipad, while Chet took Jack, Jerry, and Laura in Queen and sped off towards the police station. Biff, Tony, and Phil quickly sped off towards the Coast Guard station, leaving Frank and Joe to make their way back towards the Pollitt place while the rest of the Radley family and Trudy held down the fort at the Hardy residence.

The boys parked their bikes a distance from the Pollitt place and jogged the rest of the way there. When they got to the driveway of the Pollitt place, they saw that there were only a couple of guards at the front door.

"Everyone must be in the back, waiting for our arrival," whispered Frank.

"That would make sense."

Frank took a glance at his watch in the rays of the setting sun. "It's almost time. Be ready and follow my lead."

"When have I not," said Joe with a grin. Frank shot him an annoyed look, but said nothing as he looked at his watch again. It was only a few minutes until seven, but the boys were poised to make a dash for it. A minute before seven, they could hear the helicopter blades, as could the men on the inside. There was a commotion as they tried to find the helicopter. Jack was more than willing to let them know where they were, apparently, as, at seven o'clock sharp, he maneuvered really close to the house.

"Remind me to never take flight lessons from Jack," muttered Joe.

"Come on!" hissed Frank, grabbing him by the arm. They dashed towards the front door and snuck in. They had made it! Into the house for now. Next step, find their father. The two cautiously peered around every corner before stepping any further.

"I think they all went outside," whispered Joe.

"Let's hope so."

"But where's Dad?"

"Let's check upstairs, there's no reason to hide him in the cellar or anything."

"Right." They dashed up the stairs, and though sure that all of Snattman's gang was outside, they continued to be cautious and peered around every corner. It was Joe who had found him. "Dad!" Frank rushed towards him and entered the room. There was their father, bound to a bed.

Fenton's eyes widened as his sons rushed towards him and began untying him. "What are you two doing here?" he asked hoarsely. "If Snattman knows you're here . . ."

"Then he's going to have to deal with Mom, and I don't think he would want to do that," quipped Joe. He shot his father a toothy grin as tears of relief filled his eyes.

"Speaking of Mom, this is her plan," said Frank with a broad grin as they finished untying Fenton and helped him sit up.

Fenton stared at them. "Your mom . . . planned this?"

"If you hadn't heard, that was Jack Wayne showing off for Snattman's gang," said Joe as his grin widened.

"What? But . . ."

"Come on Dad, we have to go, there's not much time," said Frank.

Fenton nodded. "You're right. They're leaving in the morning." The boys helped him stand and put his arms around their shoulders. Slowly, but surely, they made their way out of the room and towards the stairs. But then they paused.

"It was a set-up! The Hardys didn't show up and that helicopter did!"

"Of course it was Klein, did you really think the Hardys were going to try to save their father without help from their friends? You really are stupid." There was a wack. "What do we do, boss?"

"I think it's time we got a little rough with Mr. Hardy. They want him back so bad, well, we'll give him back, in pieces if we have to. Come on!"

The three glanced at each other in shock as they could hear footsteps coming towards them. They had to find a hiding place, and fast. But, where could they go? Time was running out!

(Thank you all so much for being so patient! I was not able to finish my novella in time for the Amazon contest. But that just means I get to give it a little more love! XD If you're hoping to read Find the Prince: Begin the Game, I'm hoping to have it out either December or January, depending on how life goes, and the critiques and edits, lol. Hope you liked this new chapter!)


	17. Covering All Routes

As soon as Slim and Pete saw that Frank and Joe had gotten into the house, Jack took the copter for a couple more spins around the place before heading out to sea.

"I hope that gave Frank and Joe enough time to find Mr. Hardy and a place to hide," Slim shouted into the headset.

"I hope so too," shouted Jack back, "but we won't know for sure until we've received word from Laura." By then, they were passing over the Coast Guard station. They saw Biff, Tony, Phil, and the Coast Guard leave the station and get into a couple of boats. Chief Robinson flashed their searchlight at them, and their friends waved. Slim and Pete waved back, but wasn't sure if their friends saw them as the boats took off towards the cliffs. Jack landed the plane soon afterwards. He turned in his chair. "Alright, text Chet."

Slim pulled out his phone. "On it."

Chet's phone chimed. He pulled it out and looked at the text. "Slim says Frank and Joe got in and that they're ready to take back off if we need them." Collig and Laura nodded at him. The three were sitting in Collig's police car, Laura in the front with Collig while Chet was in the back. His phone pinged again. "That's Tony, they've left the Coast Guard station and are on their way towards the cliffs."

Laura let out a soft huff as she turned back around in her seat and faced the house, or what little they could see of it. "And now we wait."

Chet let out a breath. "I hope they find Mr. Hardy and a hiding place quickly."

Collig picked up the radio and pushed the button. "Crouching Tiger to Eagle Eyes, report."

Stephan's voice came over the radio. "The bad guys are rushing around, getting things ready to go, I suppose. Mr. Wayne's flying really scared them." He chuckled.

"Can you see Frank and Joe?"

"Not since they went into the house. None of the bad guys have gone in, that I can see, so they have some time to find Mr. Hardy."

"That's some good news. Thanks Stephan."

"Eagle Eyes, over and out."

"Over and out," said Collig before placing the radio down. He glanced at Laura and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You and Fenton have raised those boys well, and they'll have Fenton with them. I'm sure they'll figure out something."

Laura smiled with appreciation at Collig. "Thanks Ezra."

"They'd better," said Chet, leaning forward with anxiety, "it looks like those guys are heading in."

"Text Slim and tell Jack to be ready to go at a moment's notice," said Laura as her hands curled into fists.

"Yes ma'am." Chet quickly typed out the text and sent it. Slim quickly sent back a text saying that they were ready, just send them the word.

Laura nodded after Chet read the text. "Good, thank you."

"Um, Mrs. Hardy?"

"Yes Chet?"

"Um, I don't want to keep thinking about bad things, but, what if, what if they take all three as hostages?"

Collig glanced at Laura as she bit her lip. "I, I don't know," she whispered.

"I think," said Collig slowly, "I think we would be at a disadvantage there."

"Yeah," said Chet softly. "Sorry to upset you, Mrs. Hardy."

Laura smiled softly at him. "It's alright, Chet. A mark of being a great detective is being able to look at something from all angles. And if you can't, having someone who can give you a different perspective can be the greatest ally a detective can have."

Chet smiled. "That, or, just a mark of hanging out with the Hardys long enough." Laura and Collig chuckled at that.

"There is that too," said Collig between chuckles. "Anyone can learn some tips about being good detectives by hanging out with the Hardys."

"Well, what can you say, Fenton likes his job, and it's rubbed off on the boys. Only natural it rubs off them too."

"Eagle Eyes to Crouching Tiger, Eagle Eyes to Crouching Tiger, come in!"

Collig quickly picked up the radio. "This is Crouching Tiger. What's going on, Stephan?"

"The bad guys went into the house, and a few have come back out. They seem to be looking for someone!"

The three glanced at each other and Laura quickly pulled out her phone. She hadn't received any texts. "Please just be lying low," she whispered. Chet began massaging her shoulders.

"I hope that means Frank and Joe have found Mr. Hardy and a fairly good hiding place for now. Report back when you see any differences, like if they found someone. And it's getting close to time for your sister to start texting Biff about what you guys see."

"Roger that. Eagle Eyes over and out."

"But if they are safe, why haven't they texted you yet?" Chet asked.

"Maybe they're in a position that Frank doesn't feel it's safe to pull out his phone and risk them getting caught," said Collig. Laura merely nodded, but glanced at the phone, still wishing for that text to come through. Chet, who had paused in massaging Laura's shoulders, went back to massaging them.

Laura sighed as the massage helped keep the tension from building up. "Thank you so much Chet. I envision you're going to make some girl really happy."

Chet grinned. "I plan on it." But though he grinned and was doing his best to help his best friends' mother stay calm, he couldn't help the string of worrying scenarios and questions from running through his head. Had Frank and Joe really found their father? Was the gang just looking for the two boys since they hadn't shown up, supposedly, to the rendezvous? Had they figured out that it was Frank and Joe who Klein and Red talked to and not the Masons? How did they figure it out? Speaking of, why hadn't Snattman sent any men to the Hardy's house and kidnapped the boys from there? Just what kind of a criminal was this Snattman? What was he thinking? Most criminals would have used whatever means necessary to make sure the police didn't catch them. So, why hadn't Snattman or his gang? Chet was starting to feel a little dizzy with how rapid-fire fast the thoughts came, and he couldn't stop them. Had they taken pretty good care of Mr. Hardy? What kind of condition did Frank and Joe find him in? Could his condition have any effect on how quickly they were able to hide? Did the boys have to support him and that's why Frank couldn't text? The house wasn't that big, so why hadn't they been found yet? Or they were found, and Snattman was putting on a show for the police so he would have time to convince Mr. Hardy to give up the case? There were so many things could have happened! What was going on in there? If only that telescope could see inside the house as well!

Ding! Chet yelped and fell back on the seat, while Collig and Laura jumped. She let out a yelp in relief as she opened the text.

"It's Frank! Oh, they're alright! They had to lay low while the house was searched. They're hiding in the attic, Fenton didn't want Snattman's gang to find them in the secret staircase so it can remain their back door if they are found."

Chet whooped. "They're alright!"

"For now," said Collig firmly. But he was grinning with relief.

"Chet, let Biff and Slim know Frank contacted us and that they're alright," said Laura.

"On it!" Chet quickly typed out the text and sent it to both of them. He glanced between the adults. "Now what?"

Collig picked up the radio. "Now, it's time to cut off their escape route."

Chief Robinson returned the radio to its stand. He turned to Biff, Phil, and Tony. "Alright, time to show us exactly where that opening is."

The three nodded. "Yes sir!"

He turned to the helmsman. "Follow their directions, Jones."

Jones saluted him. "Yes sir!" Phil pulled out the map so Biff and Tony could give exact directions. As soon as the boat was close enough, they pointed out the opening. Jones pulled past it and turned the boat around. He turned off the engine and they watched and waited.

"Ingenious," said Robinson. "We would have never noticed that." He grinned at the boys. "Those Hardys are amazing."

The boys grinned at the praise for their friends. "You better believe it," said Tony.

"After everything they've already done for my brother? I already do."

"Chief, it looks like two men are coming out of the cave," reported Jones. The boys dashed to the front and peered out the window as Robinson did so.

Phil gasped. "I think they're trying to get out with some of the loot!" The two men were putting something into a plastic bag.

Robinson nodded. "That would make sense, try to get out as much as possible before getting the men out. They might know the police are watching the roads but not their secret opening." He looked at each of them. "Be ready for anything." They nodded. The two men had not noticed the Coast Guard boat sitting just past their secret opening. They got into their boat and took off for the ocean. Robinson picked up his radio. "_Alice_ to _Henley_, we have two men in a boat and what looks like some loot heading your way. Be prepared to head them off."

"Roger that, we'll be ready." Robinson returned the radio and nodded at Jones. Jones nodded back and turned on the _Henley_. The smugglers' boat was a few feet ahead of them now, but with a powerful engine like the _Alice'_s, they would catch up to them in no time.

"I wonder where they're going," said Biff. "I don't think they would be able to make it to the _Marco Polo_ without being seen."

"Well, we are forcing their hand, they might be trying to work as quickly as possible to get the loot to Ali Singh before the police gets their hands on it."

"Oh, speaking of Ali Singh, have you arrested him yet?' asked Phil.

Robinson shook his head. "Not yet, the captain of the _Marco Polo_ didn't want a scene." He rolled his eyes. "So, I have two men waiting to arrest him as soon as he exits the ship. The captain did promise to send Ali on an errand to the docks so we can arrest him."

"They've spotted us!" announced Phil. The two men revved up their boat.

"Jones, full speed!"

"Yes sir!" Jones put the _Alice _into full speed, but the boat chase was over almost as soon as it had begun. The _Henley _lay between the smugglers and their path to the docks. The _Alice _turned and pulled up alongside them, putting them into a sandwich.

Robinson raised a megaphone as two men came to the side of the Alice and raised their guns. "Don't even think about it, gentlemen, you're surrounded."

The men raised their hands. One had a bag in his left hand. Biff quickly realized what he was planning to do as the hand slowly inched towards the edge of the boat. "Chief, he's going to . . ." Before Biff could finish the sentence, the bag was tossed into the water.

"Hey!" shouted Tony. But Biff was already in motion. He took everything out of his pockets, then quickly slipped off his socks and shoes, and just about tore off his shirt in his rush to dive into the water.

"Biff!" cried out Tony and Phil.

"Bertram, arrest these two!" ordered Robinson.

"You've got nothing on us!" shouted one of the men as two men from the _Henley _entered the boat.

Robinson narrowed his eyes. "Well, tossing evidence into the sea in front of several witnesses doesn't exactly help your case either." They scowled at Robinson, but gave no further problems as they were escorted onto the Henley. The next second, Biff's head cleared the water, gasping for breath. He held up the bag in triumph.

"Good going, Biff!" cheered his friends as they helped him back on board the _Alice_.

"I don't know how they did it," he said through chattering teeth, "but this is the medicine my father was supposed to receive tomorrow." He growled as his eyes flashed. "How could they steal this? There are people in town who desperately need this medicine!"

"Some people will do anything for a pretty penny," said Robinson with a scowl. But then he brightened. "But thanks to you, your father will still get this, and I'm sure he would have no problem if his son is the one who delivers it."

Biff grinned. "Oh definitely not."

Robinson patted him on the back. "Good." He turned to the Henley and used his megaphone. "Bertram, I'm going to need you to send a few men with us. No doubt they're going to need our help."

Bertram nodded as he picked up his megaphone. "Roger that."

Robinson turned to Jones. "Take us back to the cave."

"Aye aye, sir."

By then, one of the officers had taken the medicine from Biff and locked it in the ship's safe while he quickly got dressed. He took a glance at his phone and gasped. "I think they do. Chet sent a text saying that something's going on at the house! Jack, Jerry, and Officers Reilly and Franklin are supposed to be checking it out."

Robinson glanced through the window at the cliffs. "Ask Chet if we should proceed to enter the caves."

Biff quickly sent the text and got a rapid reply. "He says yes."

"Alright, let them know we're going in."

Meanwhile, after getting the request from Collig via Chet's text to get a closer look at what was going on, Jack, Jerry, and the two officers found themselves hiding behind the same bushes Frank and Joe had been hiding behind only the other day. The boys' hearts were pounding as they watched the men scurrying to and fro. Some had large flashlights, others were carrying boxes, and a few were watching the road. Two men paused in front of their hiding place. Jack and Jerry pressed themselves into the ground as much as possible to avoid detection.

"Klein, listen, if things don't go well . . ."

"But Snattman's plan will work!" The boys slowly raised their heads to get a better look at the two men. It was Red Jackley and Klein Connors! This must be their usual post!

"I don't know, there's something about those Hardys," said Red, "I'm always thinking they have some other trick up their sleeves. No wonder why Snattman is scared of them. But listen, if, and only if, things don't go according to Snattman's plan, that tower treasure is in the old tower, got it?"

"Old tower, got it."

"Good, but Ali Singh knows it's there too, and one can't be too sure what that guy will do once Snattman isn't in charge."

"I know, I'm surprised Snattman even trusts the guy to be our salesman overseas."

They were interrupted by radio static. Reilly instinctively reached for his while Red pulled out his own. "Red here, what's up?"

"Snattman found the Hardys!"

(Thank you all for keeping up with the updates! For those who keep up with the Nancy Drew updates, I'm going to slow them down this month, I want to finish it next month to coincide with the new Nancy Drew game, the new series, and the Nancy Drew convention in Savannah, Georgia. I might post a chapter or two this month, but I want to focus mainly on finishing this one, especially seeing as how we're almost there! Glad you've all been liking it so far!)


	18. Springing the Trap

Frank recalled the secret passage to the attic and ushered his father and his brother in that direction. Frank suggested that Joe and Fenton go up the secret stairs to the attic while he would go up the ladder to make sure nothing was obscuring the trap door. He made sure Fenton and Joe got into the secret passageway and that the hidden door was closed securely behind them before dashing into the room across the hall. He pulled the ladder down and clambered up it quickly but quietly. He pulled up the ladder right as he could hear some men walking past. They paused, and he paused, his heart pounding.

"Hey, Red, Klein."

"Yeah boss?"

"Send two men to Ali with the medicine. We have got to get that out. We can't have any delays on that. We can postpone our own departure, but Ali needs to have that when the _Marco Polo_ leaves tomorrow."

"We'll handle that, boss." Frank didn't hear any more as he quietly closed the attic door. He pulled out his phone and used the light feature to take a quick look around for a good hiding place. He saw several crates in one corner with a tarp on top of it. They could pull the tarp down for extra coverage if they needed it, but for now, it would do. He quickly tiptoed over to the secret trap door and opened it.

"What took you so long?" hissed Joe.

"Snattman was in the hall with Red, Klein, and a few others," said Frank as he helped his father into the attic. "I don't know if they've finished their little meeting yet, but it's only going to be a few minutes before they find out Dad's gone."

"Do you know if any of the gang knows about that secret passage?" asked Fenton as Joe quickly and quietly closed the trap door.

Frank shrugged. "We have no clue." He glanced at Joe. "Do you remember if the footprints went near this area?"

Joe thought a moment. "Maybe not? I don't quite remember. Ugh, I should have taken pictures of them!"

"Too late now. Come on, we can hide behind those crates for now," said Frank.

"Wait, wouldn't it be better to hide in the secret passage?" asked Joe.

Fenton shook his head. "And risk Snattman finding us and cornering us there? No, best to hide behind those crates. If Snattman finds us behind the crates and doesn't know about the secret passage . . ."

Frank slowly grinned as the realization of what his father was suggesting hit him. "Let Snattman think he's got the upper hand, but we have the element of surprise."

Fenton winked. "Bingo." The boys glanced at each other and grinned before helping their father the rest of the way to the crates. Once they were situated, Frank pulled down the tarp while Joe pulled out some candy bars and handed them to his father. "Thanks," said Fenton as he took one. "Haven't eaten the past two days. Snattman was at least nice enough to let me shower this morning."

"Oh, well, at least he keeps his prisoners clean," mumbled Joe. Fenton grinned before wolfing down the bars.

"Well, it seems that . . ."

They heard the attic door swing open with a bang. The three instinctively crouched down as far as they could behind the crates as a pair of feet came clambering up the ladder. They barely dared to breathe as a light was swung from side to side over the attic. Sure, it was best to let Snattman find them here, but if they could stall that long enough for the police and the coast guard to capture the gang, they would be good.

It sounded like a few boxes was moved around before the light disappeared and a pair of feet stomped down the ladder.

"No one's up there!" they heard a guy say before the attic was closed again. Frank slowly peered out from under the tarp. His let his eyes adjust to the near complete darkness and glanced around. He couldn't make out any shapes. He quickly slid back under the tarp and the three waited for several minutes. When no one came back into the attic and they were fairly sure no one else was in the attic but them, then Frank pulled out his cell phone and texted his mother.

"I hope we haven't worried them for too long," muttered Joe.

"Chet's more likely to have a panic attack than Mom," Frank stated matter-of-factly.

Fenton nodded. "That is true."

Frank let out a breath. "Mom just sent a reply. She says, "good to hear. Love to all of you. The Coast Guard are moving in." He grinned as he typed back. "Good, I overheard Snattman telling Red and Klein to get a couple of men to take the medicine to Ali Singh."

"Wait, what?" blurted Joe.

His father and his brother immediately went, "Sh!"

"Sorry, but, how did they get the medicine. It's not supposed to be in Bayport until tomorrow!"

"It wasn't supposed to be delivered until tomorrow," said Fenton, "but it's been in the area for the past couple of days. The couriers were off today, but they got into Bayport yesterday afternoon."

Frank and Joe glanced at each other. "That was last night's job!" they chorused.

Fenton nodded. "That's right. I don't know how they found out where it was going to be, but they knew where to get the medicine and were waiting for the first opportunity they got. Obviously they got it."

Frank grinned. "And are walking into the first opportunity the Coast Guard . . ."

"And Biff!"

Frank nodded. "And Biff have to get it back."

Fenton grinned. "Yes, which is wonderful news. I'm sure Chief Robinson will have everything under control."

"So, now what?" asked Joe.

Fenton leaned back, the boxes seemed to hold from shifting his weight. "Now, we wait. As long as they know we're safe, they can operate at their own pace, arrest the gang members one by one if they have to."

"Or two by two," quipped Frank.

Fenton chuckled. "Or however many they decide to do, or even capture them all at once. It's up to them at this point."

Joe sighed as he leaned back against the boxes. "Well, I hope they hurry it up, it's not exactly comfortable right now." He glanced over at his father. "But I do have one question."

"Yes?"

"How did they capture you?"

Fenton chuckled nervously. "Pure accident, of all things. Your mother got the message about the evidence?"

The boys nodded. "Yes."

"Well, I . . . I got a little too confident, and somewhat cocky, that I could get some more, so I went back to listen in to some conversations. One of the men just so happened to have been out getting supplies and chanced upon me when he came back to the house." Fenton shrugged. "And, well, now, here we are."

Joe groaned. "Go figure, dumb luck on their part."

"It really was," said Frank slowly. "If they hadn't captured you, we wouldn't have gone through so much trouble to get you back, and they might have gotten away with it again."

Fenton chuckled. "That's one way of looking at it."

Joe grinned. "So, more like a break for us in catching them."

The attic door flung open with a bang, and the three went silent.

"Fenton Hardy! I know you're in here!" roared someone, the boys figured it was Snattman. "Come out! There's no way you could have left this house!" A light slowly passed around the attic. "Your family's looking for you, or should I say, your wife, seeing as how those boys of yours are probably the ones in here with you right now. Would you deprive her of her husband and her sons?" he sneered. Fenton kept quiet, as did the boys. There was the sound of boxes being moved around. That sound seemed to get closer. There was a slight pause. Then the sound of moving boxes. Silence. Moving boxes. Silence. Then the tarp came off and they found themselves blinking in the bright light before realizing they were staring down the end of a barrel. Frank's and Joe's hearts nearly stopped right there at the sight of the gun. "Found you," growled the man. They could barely see him in the glow of the flashlight. Fenton rose. "Don't move, Hardy, not another move, or I shoot one of your boys."

Fenton raised his hands. "Yes, you've found us Snattman, now what?"

"What do you mean, now what?"

"My sons have informed me that you're surrounded. So I ask again, now what?"

"I'll hold you as hostages, that's what!" Frank and Joe shot startled glances at each other. Hostages! "I'm sure your pretty wife will agree to my terms, seeing as it seems like she's in charge of this whole charade."

Fenton's eyes flashed as he growled. "Do not use that tone of voice when you're talking about my wife."

Snattman seemed to falter and took a slight step back. "Oh, uh, my apologies . . . it's just, I'm rather desperate. Being a criminal isn't exactly easy alright?"

"Then maybe you shouldn't have become one."

Snattman took a breath. "Well, too late for that now, huh? But look at it this way, you won't have to lose your dignity as a detective and lie about us, now would you? I can hand you over for safe passage out of the bay, and you can send the Coast Guard on a merry chase after us."

Fenton was quiet for a moment. "Sounds fair."

"Good." Snattman walked to the attic door and went down the stairs. "Board up that door!"

"Hey!" shouted Joe, right as the door slammed shut.

"Joe, stay down," said Fenton.

Joe didn't move from his place, but he growled. "Good thing we have that secret passage," he mumbled.

"Do those guys not know about it?" wondered Frank.

"We might find out in a moment. But first, Frank, text your mother. Tell her not to give into Snattman's demands."

Frank quickly typed out the message and sent it. "OK, done."

"Good, now we head back through the secret passage." The two boys helped their father get to the trap door, though the bars Joe gave him seemed to give him enough strength to handle it on his own. Frank quietly opened the trap door and tiptoed down the stairs. He pushed gently on the wall and peeked around the corner. He could hear a couple of men running to and fro in the house, but for the most part, everything seemed to be quiet. He gently closed the wall before heading back up the stairs.

"Sounds like everyone's gone outside," he reported. "They might even be trying to make a break for it while Snattman's negotiating with Mom!"

"That's the least of my worries. Chief Robinson can handle them. I'm more concerned about what Snattman might do to your mother once she refuses to give in to his demands."

"Don't you mean what he would do to us?" asked Joe. "We're supposed to be the hostages."

"You would think, but Snattman comes off to me as someone who will make rash decisions when he's cornered," said Fenton, his voice somewhat tight.

Frank gasped. "You think he might, he might shoot Mom?" Joe gasped.

"It's a possibility, frankly one I don't want to sit around and find out about."

"Me neither," said Joe.

"Frank, make sure the coast is clear."

Frank went back down the stairs as quietly as he had before. This time, he went into the room and peeked into the hall. He couldn't hear any footsteps. He waited a moment, and when he heard nothing but silence, he quietly dashed back to the stairway. "Coast is clear!" he whispered. Fenton and Joe quickly and quietly joined him in the room. Frank closed the closet wall and the three dashed out to the hall and down the stairs.

"We'd better circle around to the front of the house," said Fenton. "Snattman would see us for sure if we walked out the front door." The boys nodded and they made their way to the back door. They paused. Two guards were looking at them in surprise. One reached for his radio and the other raised his gun.

"How did you . . ." Before he could finish the sentence, both guards went down. The Hardys watched in surprise as there was a quick scuffle between the guards and four others. The two were gagged and handcuffed.

"Officer Reilly! Officer Franklin! Jack! Jerry!" exclaimed the boys. Jack and Jerry hugged the Hardys.

"Boy, are we glad to see you!" said Jack, grinning with relief.

"Keep your voices down," said Fenton. He turned and shook hands with the officers. "Thanks."

Reilly grinned. "No problem, Mr. Hardy. We were hiding in the bushes when Snattman sent the word that they had found you and wanted these two to switch with Red Jackley and Klein Connors. When they saw you, well, we took the opportunity."

Fenton nodded. "Good call. There may yet be another. Is Snattman talking with Laura?"

Reilly nodded. "Yes sir."

"Good, then this is our chance. You four go around the left side of the house, we'll take the right. We'll ambush them."

Reilly and Franklin nodded. "Yes sir." They separated and crept alongside the house. Fenton let out a soft gasp when they turned the corner. There was Snattman, flanked by Red and Klein, facing off against Laura, who was flanked by Collig and Chet. Chet looked pretty upset and worried, glancing back and forth between Laura's stone face and Snattman's rage.

"You still refuse?" he roared.

"Yes," said Laura coldly.

Snattman took a few breaths, apparently trying to think around this brick wall. "You're absolutely sure you never want to see your husband and your sons ever again?"

"I might be a Hardy in name only," said Laura, "but I will not allow a criminal to get free any more than my husband or my sons. A Hardy never gives up the chase, nor a chance to bring a criminal to justice."

Frank and Joe fought the urge to cheer for their mother, so they ended up grinning broadly. But the stern look on their father's face quickly sombered them up. Snattman was getting desperate, they would need to act soon.

"Are you absolutely, positively sure?" said Snattman. Frank's and Joe's eyes widened as Snattman leveled the gun at their mother. Fenton tensed as he slowly began to rise. Frank and Joe followed suit.

A slight movement in the trees alerted the Hardys to the presence of other officers at the ready behind Laura. Fenton glanced to the other side of the house. Reilly, Franklin, Jack, and Jerry were ready. He gave a slight nod, and as silent as they could, walked towards Snattman, Red, and Klein.

"Positive that I will never see my family again? Or positive that I would never let you go free?"

Something in the way Laura said that seemed to alert Snattman that he was in more trouble than he thought and he turned around. Fenton was on top of him in a moment. Klein and Red took off in different directions. Reilly and Franklin took off after them, guns blazing. Frank and Joe had jumped in to help their father against Snattman along with Collig. In a moment, Collig had Snattman's gun, and Snattman was sitting on the ground, cuffed and dejected.

"Mom!" cried Frank and Joe.

"Oh thank heavens you're alright!" exclaimed Laura as she hugged them both tightly. But then she glanced at Fenton. The two rushed into each other's arms and kissed passionately. Frank and Joe were grinning broadly. Until Joe nudged Frank.

"Think that could be you and Nancy one day?"

Frank squawked. "Joe!"

Chet came between them and hugged them tightly. "Oh, forget about it Frank. We've captured the gang!" Jack and Jerry whooped as they high-fived the Hardys.

"Not everyone." They turned, Reilly and Franklin approached them with grim faces. "Klein got away, and Red is dying. Collig told us you two were in charge of the theft at Tower Mansion."

Frank and Joe glanced at each other. "The Tower treasure!" The five boys followed Reilly and Franklin to where Red lay dying.

"Jackley, where did you hide the Tower treasure?" asked Frank. "Please tell us."

Jackley smiled at them. "You fooled us good with that little Mason impersonation of yours." He coughed. "You two . . . are going to . . . make your dad . . . proud."

"Uh, thanks," said Joe, "but the Tower treasure?" Red answered with a coughing fit.

Franklin put a hand on Joe's shoulder as an ambulance pulled up. "We'll go with him to the hospital, see what else he can tell us."

The boys nodded. "Thanks." They watched as the two officers helped the paramedics get Red into the ambulance and take off.

Frank blinked a moment. "Wait, what else he can tell them?"

"Oh yeah," said Jerry, "we overheard Red tell Klein that the treasure was hidden in the old tower. I think Officer Franklin meant to find out which tower, as there's more than one tower here in Bayport."

"Yeah, but the likeliest place from that sentence would be the old tower at Tower Mansion," said Joe.

Jack and Jerry nodded. "Right," said Jack, "but Officer Reilly said it wouldn't make any sense for Red to hide the loot in the very place he stole it from, so he thought of the water towers. The old ones aren't much in use, but they're kept around in case of emergencies."

Frank nodded, that reasoning made perfect sense. "That's a good point. But, does Klein know that?"

Jack shrugged. "Seems like he did."

At that moment, Fenton and Laura joined them, and the boys explained the situation. Fenton nodded. "That makes sense. But I think it would be best to hold off on that for now, let the police handle it. We've had a long day." He smiled broadly. "And I'm proud of all of you."

Frank and Joe grinned. "Thanks Dad!"

They didn't leave just yet, Collig needed a report from Fenton, Frank and Joe about everything they heard and what had happened. But by the time they got back home, they got the report that, besides Klein, the rest of the gang had been rounded up by the State Police and the Coast Guard caught a few stragglers. Ali Sing was still on the Marco Polo, but Chief Robinson heard from the captain that he could personally come aboard the ship the next morning and make the arrest. Apparently the captain was afraid of the gang bearing down on the ship when Ali was arrested, which Collig and Robinson agreed was a reasonable concern. When Frank and Joe hit their pillows, they wondered if Klein would be caught in the morning too. They certainly hoped so, it would give them a free pass to look for the Tower treasure without another member of the gang trying to get it from them.

(aaaahhhh! Two more chapters to go! So excited for you to read the end! Thank you all so much for sticking with me this far! I'm glad you're enjoying it!)


	19. Searching for Treasure

Frank mumbled as he rolled over. He rubbed his eyes, they felt so heavy. He could hear Joe's heavy breathing from the other bed. So then why were his ears ringing? His eyes widened, wait, that wasn't ringing in his ears, that was the phone ringing! He threw off the covers and nearly tumbled out of bed in his mad dash to get to the phone. By the time he got out to the hallway, his father had already picked it up.

"Fenton Hardy speaking. Yes, hi Chief, what do you have?" Fenton had his back to Frank for a moment before he turned. Frank gulped when he saw the look of disappointment etched on his father's face. "Both are still at large?" Frank's eyes widened. They hadn't caught Klein yet? And who else got away? "I see. No, no, I don't blame you, or your men, or Robinson and his men, or the State Police. Two men can easily give a whole army the slip." A slight smirk formed on his lips. "Trust me, I know how that works." There was a pause as Fenton listened to Collig. "No, I think you should relax on the search for Connors and Singh. Without Snattman to tell them what to do, they'll slip up, no doubt about it."

Frank's eyes widened and his mouth dropped as he stepped closer to Fenton. Fenton saw him and raised an eyebrow. "Ali Singh got away?" Frank mouthed. Fenton nodded. He turned his attention back to listening to Collig.

"That's right, Ezra, go lax on your search for Connors and Singh. Don't stop looking for them, but don't send out every man you have to comb the countryside for them."

Frank gasped. "The Tower Mansion treasure! Red told Klein where it is, and he said Ali knew too! We find that treasure, we'll find them!" he whispered excitedly.

Fenton grinned. "Say what? Oh, sorry Ezra, Frank's here, and he just came to the same conclusion I did. We need to find the Tower Mansion treasure, we'll find our men for sure." His face fell. "Really? He did?" He chuckled ruefully. "I almost expected him to take the secret to his grave, didn't think he actually would."

"Wait, what!" blurted Frank.

"Sh!" said Fenton. "Keep it down!"

"Sorry."

"Hang on Ezra." Fenton placed his hand over the mouthpiece. "Red Jackley died without telling where he hid the treasure. No mention of an old tower either. Thank goodness Reilly, Franklin, and your friends overheard that piece of information, or we wouldn't have anything to go off of."

Frank moaned. "Go figure. Klein and Ali Singh might have already found it and made off with it."

Fenton shook his head. "Doubtful. We have State Police and several of Collig's own men watching the roads out of Bayport."

"To New York City?"

Fenton nodded. "Naturally."

Something was gnawing at the back of Frank's mind, something he saw, but he couldn't quite remember. Something red? What was it? "What about the neighboring towns?" he muttered slowly. He thinks he's hit on it, or at least, close to it, whatever it was.

Fenton thought a moment before removing his hand and talking into the mouthpiece. "Ezra? Frank just asked about the neighboring towns." He listened before giving a slight nod. "Ah, I gotcha. Good plan." He put his hand over the mouthpiece again. "Robinson has several ships out patrolling the surrounding areas. Really, they could only head to New York or out to sea to escape. They have it all covered."

Frank pursed his lips. "But you're asking them to slack off?"

Fenton shook his head. "Just the search parties, not the patrol."

Frank nodded. That made sense, let the criminals come to them instead of constantly looking for them and waste valuable time that could be put to use fighting other crime in the city. The State Police blockade on the way to New York and the Coast Guard was plenty enough to catch two men. He hoped, anyway.

"What's going on? Who's on the phone?" Fenton and Frank turned. Joe was standing in the doorway of the boys' room, and let out a big yawn.

"Chief Collig's on the phone," said Frank, walking towards his brother. Joe's sleepiness seemed to melt away as his eyes widened.

"Really? What did he say?"

Frank glanced at Fenton, who went back to talking to Collig. He turned back to Joe and nodded at the room. The two went into the room and Frank let out a huff. "Red died without telling where exactly the treasure was hidden."

Joe's mouth dropped before he let out an angry huff. "Of all the nerve!"

Frank snickered, Joe was starting to sound like Aunt Trudy, but he wasn't going to tell him that. "Right? But he was a criminal, probably thought it best that he didn't tell so Klein and Ali could get it and bail."

"But do they really know where it is?"

Frank raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't Red just tell Klein the old tower? He didn't specify it to Klein either."

Frank shrugged. "Klein probably knows Red well enough that he knows where Red hid it based on those words."

"But if we knew Red well enough, we would too."

Frank rubbed his chin. "That is true. Maybe another look at his criminal record might give us a clue."

Joe nodded. "Right. Where did you put the record?"

"Frank, Joe, worry about that later. It's time to get ready for school," said their father, poking his head into the room.

"But . . ."

Fenton narrowed his eyes. "Now, Joe. Connors and Singh are going to lie low for now. They won't do anything until they've seen that the police are pulling back on their search."

Joe sighed. "Yes sir." The boys quickly got ready. Laura and Trudy were up by this time, and Fenton filled them in on everything over breakfast. He finished by stating that since the Tower Mansion treasure was technically Frank and Joe's case, that they were in now in charge. Joe gave a little whoop, but then he paused.

"But if we're in charge, how come we still have to go to school? Can't we just have today off? We did have a rather exciting day yesterday."

Fenton shot him a look. Joe grinned back while Frank rolled his eyes. "Last two days of school, Joe, just two more days."

Joe huffed and crosses his arms. "Three, we're going to the graduation."

Fenton chuckled. "The graduation never counted, and we're going this year because Samantha and Biff's older brother are graduating."

Joe sighed. "I know, I know. But a graduation takes as long as a regular school day!"

"We might still find the treasure before then, Joe," said Frank matter-of-factly.

"And Klein and Ali might still get away with it!"

"Then you'll have to work fast," said Fenton. "I did ask Ezra that you two would be the ones to look through all the old water towers. He was going to get a list together for you." Fenton raised his finger. "After you get back from school."

Joe groaned. "Oh fine, let's get this over with."

"Thank you." They rose from the table and placed their dishes in the dishwasher. Fenton kissed Laura on the way out. "I'm heading over to the police station after I drop off the boys and have a talk with Snattman, as well as get started on the paperwork. I'll pick them up on the way back home."

"You'd better, I don't need to chase you down twice in one week."

Fenton chuckled before kissing her again. "Yes ma'am." The boys followed him out to the car.

School seemed to drag on for centuries for Frank and Joe. They couldn't stop thinking about the case, and that nearly got them in trouble. But they managed to get through the day without any other incidents. Fenton picked them up as he said he would and told them about his conversation with Snattman.

"He confessed to everything," said Fenton cheerfully. "Plus gave us a few addresses to hideouts the gang were going to use in a few other states and few members of the gang are stationed there. Red and Klein were apparently supposed to be stationed here once the heat died down."

"So Klein might know the area as well as Red," said Frank slowly, "and probably knows all the best places to hide from the police."

Fenton nodded. "It's a possibility. Red probably showed him around to help him get a feel for the place." Fenton's eyes sparkled with delight. "And, I got a pleasant surprise."

"What?" chorused the boys.

"Snattman seems to be turning over a new leaf. He seemed genuinely sorry for what he's done and since the Pollitt place is technically his inheritance from his uncle, he's decided to give it to the city as a place for the homeless, especially teens."

"Oh wow, that's swell!" said Joe with a huge grin.

"Repenting criminals are always the best kind," said Frank.

Fenton nodded, grinning widely. "I agree. It always warms my heart when someone realizes that what they did was wrong and repent for it as well as try to do better. Unfortunately it is few and far between, so to have one, especially on your first official mystery, is wonderful."

"Well, technically Red was our culprit," said Frank, "and he definitely wasn't repentant."

Fenton nodded. "True that, but our cases were connected, so it's technically yours as well as mine."

"Sweet!" said Joe, pumping his fist.

Fenton chuckled. "Glad you agree. Now, do either of you have homework?"

They shook their heads. "The final testing is tomorrow," said Frank, "so it should be a mostly quiet day."

"And then the graduation the next day, and then summer vacation has finally started!" said Joe with a whoop. "We can focus all of our attention on mysteries instead of having to juggle mysteries with school!"

"But you'll no doubt have mysteries during the school months as well," said Fenton. "Best to get some practice in before school starts back up again."

"Right," chorused the boys.

Fenton pulled into their driveway. He turned off the engine and pocketed the keys before turning around in his seat to look at the boys. HE pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Frank. "Alright then, how about you two start searching in the nearest water towers for the Applegate treasure?"

Frank snatched the paper. "Yes!" the two chorused.

"Well then, get to work. Be home for dinner."

"Yes sir!" they chorused with a salute.

"Just leave your backpacks in the living room," said Fenton as they began to get out of the car. They dashed into the living room and practically threw their backpacks on the floor before turning around and dashing back to their bikes. They put their helmets on, revved up their engines, and were off.

They consulted the paper Collig got for them, a list of all the old water towers in Bayport. They went around checking every single one of them, but turned up empty. Well, there was no Applegate treasure, that's for sure, most of the towers still had water in them. They checked the surrounding areas for any recent holes, but found nothing. They made it back home in time for dinner, feeling rather disappointed. They told of their failure over dinner.

"It wasn't a failure," said Fenton, "you just now know that it couldn't be in any of the towers in Bayport. Time to move on to other towers. You'll find it, I'm sure."

"But what if Red really did mean the old tower at Tower Mansion?" asked Joe.

Fenton rubbed his chin and thought a moment. "I highly doubt it, though it would be a good place. No one would think of looking there, but, I have a hunch that isn't where would Red hide it."

"Well, we can at least cross it off our list as a possible hiding place by checking out to be sure," said Frank. "We can check it real quick after dinner. If Red didn't hide the treasure there, it won't take long."

Fenton looked between his sons. Joe shot him a pleading smile. "Oh, alright. Just call the Applegates first and let them know what's going on. Just, don't get their hopes up. Simply tell them that you have a clue to the whereabouts to the treasure but you aren't quite sure which old tower and just want to mark this one off the list."

The boys nodded. "Will do," said Frank. Frank made the call after the boys put their dishes in the dishwasher. Hurd answered and completely understood the boys' dilemma. He told them to come right on over and that he would be waiting for them. The boys relayed the news to their parents after getting off the phone, then took off again. They made it in record time to the Tower Mansion. They parked their bikes and began walking towards the old tower where Hurd was going to meet them. But they paused in their tracks. A light was shining out of one of the windows in the old tower!

"Uh Frank?"

"I don't know what's going on, Joe, but I have a bad feeling about this. Let's duck behind this tree, fast!" The boys hid behind the tree right as the light swept the yard and passed over the very tree they were hiding behind. They held their breath as the light seemed to linger on the tree before moving on. The light did another sweep before it seemed to return to the inside of the tower.

The boys crept closer together. "Someone's looking for something and doesn't want to be found," muttered Joe.

"I figured as much, Joe. Mr. Applegate would have had all the lights on. Speaking of, where is Mr. Applegate?" A soft moan seemed to reply.

"Frank over there!" Joe pointed, there was a man lying down between them and the door to the tower.

"I think that's Mr. Applegate! Joe, call 911! He might be seriously injured!" Frank dashed forward to check on the elderly man while Joe quickly dialed the number. After telling the 911 operator what they found, he got off the phone and immediately sent a text to his father, followed by a call to Chief Collig. By then, Hurd was sitting up with Frank's help. He still seemed a bit doozy, but he was conscious enough to answer Frank's questions.

"What happened?"

"I-I don't know," mumbled Hurd. "I came out here to open up the old tower when someone hit me from behind and knocked me out." He winced as he rubbed the back of his head. Frank pursed his lips as he glanced at the light prowling around in the tower. It had to have been either Ali or Klein, but which one? Who didn't understand Red's reference to an old tower?

"An ambulance is on its way," said Joe as he joined them. "I also contacted Dad and Chief Collig, they're on their way too."

Frank nodded. "Good. Joe, I think we need to corner this guy, make sure he doesn't escape until they get here."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Hurd. "He might have a gun!"

"If he did, he could have just used it on you," said Joe matter-of-factly.

"But why don't you wait for the police to show up?"

"And let him escape? Not a chance."

"He's right. Come on Joe, let's get Mr. Applegate inside. Miss Applegate can look after him while we go catch this guy."

"Right." They helped Hurd to his feet and into the house. Adelia was beside herself with worry when the boys explained what had happened, but she was grateful they had already contacted the authorities and that they were won their way. Frank and Joe quickly dashed back to the old tower and quietly snuck in. The light was flashing around a few stories above them, but it gave off enough of a glow that they weren't in complete darkness. They stealthily climbed the spiral staircase. When they got to the level where the flashlight was, they could only see the back of a man. They knew Klein would have had a gun, maybe, but weren't sure if Ali would have. But they noticed the guy was brandishing a pipe and surmised that he wouldn't need it if he had a gun. Frank nodded at Joe, and they snuck up on the guy. Frank lunged for the guy's right arm, and Joe lunged for the left.

The guy yelped. "Hey!" The boys struggled with the guy to pin his arms behind him, but the guy proved stronger than he seemed. Plus, he thought of using his legs too. One kick caught Joe in the stomach and sent him sprawling, right over the bannister.

"No! Joe!"

(One chapter left! And there's quite a bit that's going to happen in the last chapter, so it might end being the longest one yet, we'll see. Hope you liked this one, and I hope you'll stay around till the very end for a special announcement! Or something like an epilogue, not quite sure yet. XD)


	20. Returning Stolen Property

Frank let go of the guy's arm and lunged for Joe, but the guy pinned him down. "No!" Frank struggled under the weight of the man, hoping, praying that Joe managed to grab onto the railing. "Joe!" Of the two, he would have the reflexes and the strength to do that. He didn't hear a splat or a thud, so he figured that's what happened and Joe was hanging on for dear life. "Get off!" Frank shouted as he rammed his elbow into the guy's stomach.

The man laughed cruelly. "Why should I?" he asked menacingly. Frank noticed he had a slight Indian accent. This was Ali Singh, wasn't it? If so, where was Klein Connors? "You're Fenton Hardy's son, huh? Both of you, in fact." He growled in Frank's ear. "You have been a big pain in the neck." Frank stiffened when he heard the distinct snap of a pocket knife opening. "I think I should return the favor." The lights flashed on, momentarily blinding the two. "What the?"

"Mr. Applegate, help Joe!" Frank's vision cleared just in time to see Ali raise the knife. The next instance, Reilly tackled Ali to the ground. Collig bounded up the stairs and gave Frank a hand up.

"You alright Frank?"

"Yes, but, Joe!" Frank glanced over the railing and shakily breathed with relief. His father was hugging him tightly.

"Ali Singh, you are under arrest . . ." Frank didn't hear the rest as he was dashing down the stairs and nearly toppled Joe over in a bear hug.

"Hey, I already fell once! Don't need my own brother doing it to me again!" blurted Joe.

Frank let out a laugh as he sniffled. "Sorry, I thought, I thought you were a goner."

"I almost was when the lights turned on, but then Dad and Franklin were helping me up." He shot his brother a reassuring smile, even though his face was ashen. "You of all people should know it would take a little more than that to kill me."

Frank laughed as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "Yeah, I know, Biff has taught you well." Joe grinned, some color returning to his face. They paused as Reilly and Collig came down the stairs with a sullen Ali Singh between them, his hands handcuffed behind him.

"Good job boys, you caught Ali Singh!"

"But, where's Klein Connors?" asked Joe. "Both of them were told the location of the Applegate treasure." He and Frank shared a look. Did Red Jackley lie to one of them?

Ali spat on the ground. "That stupid Connors wouldn't know the most obvious hiding place even if you spelled it out for him!"

"But, you didn't find the treasure here," said Fenton slowly.

"Of course not! I was interrupted by your pain-in-the-neck sons here!" He glared at Frank and Joe.

Joe bowed. "Glad to be of service." Ali stared at him in shock while Frank burst out laughing.

Collig chuckled. "Reilly, take him to the station. Franklin, if you'll help us look for the treasure."

Franklin saluted him. "Yes sir." Reilly led Ali away, while Hurd joined the others and the search began. They went over every nook and cranny, every square inch of the old tower three times over before calling it quits. The treasure wasn't there.

"But where is it?" said Joe with an angry huff.

Frank rubbed his chin. "Apparently he told both Ali and Klein it was in the old tower."

"But it isn't here!"

"No duh," said Frank with a roll of his eyes. "It could be like what Dad and Chief suggested, it's in an old water tower."

Fenton and Collig nodded. "It's the only logical explanation, now that we've eliminated this old tower," said Fenton.

"But we've been through all the old water towers too!"

Frank nodded slowly. "We have." There it was again, that nagging at the back of his mind. What was he forgetting?

"Well, now that we've caught one of the two, we can now figure Connors is hanging around to find the treasure too. He might not leave for a while. We'll still have a patrol out, but we might only need a few guys out." He grinned at Frank and Joe. "Though, with our luck, you'll be the ones to find him." He held up his finger. "That being said, I'm requesting that you two take the day off tomorrow."

"What?" blurted Joe. "But . . ."

"I agree with the Chief, "said Fenton.

"What?" blurted Frank. "But we're so close!"

Fenton glanced at them. "You two have had a couple of close encounters and the past two days have been intense. You're both still teenagers and new at this, you need a break. We're just saying for one day."

Collig nodded. "We'll keep searching for Klein, don't worry. We might broaden our search to include the neighboring towns, but we'll keep looking."

"Besides," said Fenton, "tomorrow's test day, right? You're going to need to keep your minds off the mystery to focus on that."

The boys groaned, their father had a point there. "Alright," said Frank, "we'll take tomorrow off."

Collig nodded. "Thank you. Besides, if Singh is right, we might catch Connors and you'll still have to find the treasure."

The boys grinned, that was true. "Fair enough Chief," said Joe. "Oh, by the way, how come you got here so fast? Not complaining, just curious."

Collig grinned. "Of course you would be. I had Reilly and Franklin patrolling this area for a little while and they saw a man approach the tower. They called it in and gave chase. "

"But the guy got away," said Franklin with a sigh. "And I bet it was Connors too, because when we came back to our car to report that we had lost him, we saw the light coming out of the old tower. Apparently you two had just called in that Mr. Applegate had been injured. The Chief wanted us to catch you before you went in, but by the time we got to the house, you had gone in. The Chief and your dad were here by then too."

Frank and Joe glanced between Collig and their father wide-eyed. Fenton nodded at Collig. "Collig called me a few minutes after you had left and told me about the guy Reilly and Franklin saw. I figured it had to have been either Connors or Singh. I was concerned he would circle back and corner you. I also know you two had your phones on silent, so you wouldn't have heard any texts." He looked at Joe. "I got your text when I was only a few minutes out."

"And when your dad told me that you were coming here, I took off. Can't let my two best boys go into danger without backup." Collig grinned.

The boys grinned back. "Well, I guess we can thank Klein for saving us," said Frank with a chuckle.

Collig chuckled. "I don't think he'll be happy about that soon."

Fenton glanced at his watch. "We need to get going, boys, you still have to get up for school tomorrow." They bade Collig, Franklin, and Hurd goodbye before heading home.

The next day at school, the boys were really glad Collig made them take the day off. The tests were pretty stressful. The boys had not done much studying the past few days and only hoped they could remember everything. When they got back home, they napped until dinner time, then went back to sleep after dinner and didn't get up until early the next morning. They got ready, and the family left for the graduation ceremony. They got bored real quick. They bounced their legs with impatience, waiting for the ceremony to finally finish. They would have rathered being out there, helping the police look for Klein Connors. They really only cheered when Samantha Radley and Timothy Hooper got their diplomas. They participated in the standing ovation when Timothy proposed to Samantha and she said yes. The excitement and joy for their friends got them through to the refreshments afterwards. They were quickly surrounded by their friends and the talk consisted mostly of the surprise proposal.

"Man, the graduation was really special this year!" said Chet with a broad grin at Biff.

Biff grinned broadly back. "Right? Sorry I couldn't tell you guys, Tim made me promise not to tell a soul. Working on the mystery kind of helped with that." He laughed.

Chet laughed as well. "Well that's good to know. Think the happy couple will join us for our party tomorrow?"

Biff shrugged. "I don't see why not. I'll have to double check with them to let you know for sure, but I think they'll be there."

"Oh this is so wonderful!" said Iola, Chet's younger sister, with a clap of her hands. "The Principal's speech was fantastic, the Hardys rounded up a gang of criminals, and they're getting close to finding Mr. Applegate's treasure! The proposal was just the cherry on top!" Frank gasped and his eyes widened.

"Uh, Frank, you alright?" asked Joe.

Frank grasped Joe's shoulders. "That's what I've been forgetting, Joe, Cherryville was circled in red ink on the map! And Red used to work there! That's where he hid the treasure! It must be in an old water tower in Cherryville!"

Joe's mouth dropped. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

"Wait, what? Cherryville?" said Biff.

"Hey, wait!" shouted Chet, but the boys had already taken off. Frank got behind the wheel and Joe lunged into the passenger seat. The next minute, they were off.

"Ugh! How could I be so stupid! So so stupid! All the clues were there, why didn't I see it earlier?"

"Hey, the Chief was right, we definitely needed a break," said Joe. "Besides look on the bright side, Klein probably hasn't figured out where it is yet either." He grinned at Frank, who burst out laughing.

"I guess not. Keep your eyes peeled for water towers or anyone we can ask for directions when we enter Cherryville. Klein might not have figured out where it is yet, but I don't want to take any chances."

"Roger that," said Joe. But they didn't have to worry too much about that as two water towers came into view, one clearly newer than the other. The old one looked like it came straight out of a Western movie, and the boys surmised that it had been dried up for years.

"We'll have to be careful," said Frank as he parked the car. "Those rungs might be rotten and falling apart."

"Yeah, I've had enough of falling for one month." Joe paused as he was getting out of the car. "And there's no Dad to catch me." He winced. "Maybe we should have told him."

Frank grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, maybe we should have. But we're here now, let's see what we can find out. If Klein is here, we leave and don't interact with him until the police arrives. If he's not, we find the treasure and run."

Joe nodded. "Right." He shut the door and dashed to the old tower while Frank locked the car. He dashed to the old tower and began climbing up after Joe. One rung gave way under Joe's feet, but he was able to keep climbing and the two made it to the top safely. Frank opened the trap door, and the two gasped. They could see in the daylight streaming through the cracks, someone was living here! There were boards piled up around the edges of the water tower while in the center was something that looked like a miniature stove, a sleeping bag, and miscellaneous personal items. They couldn't see anyone either in the tower or walking towards them, so they decided to take the chance and climbed down the ladder into the tower. "So," whispered Joe, "if I was to hide my loot in a water tower, where would I put it?"

"It's obviously not out in the open," said Frank. "Maybe one or more of these boards are loose?"

Joe cracked his knuckles. "Let's find out." The boys went to one half of the tower and began knocking and softly pulling on the boards. Joe finished first and turned his attention to the pile of boards on that side. Nothing. They turned around, and gasped. "No way."

"Is it really that simple?" asked Frank as they stepped closer to the other pile of wood.

"It's so cliche that it could be overlooked," said Joe. They stopped in front of the pile. Two boards formed an X in front of this pile. "X marks the spot," said Joe with a grin.

"Looks like it," said Frank right before they practically dove into the pile. They pulled back the boards one by one until they found a brown burlap bag. Joe let out a soft whoop that turned into a squeal as Frank opened the bag.

"We found it! We found it!"

Frank pulled out papers signed in Hurd Applegate's name, stamps, cash, coins, and jewelry. "I think that's everything!"

"Let's get these to the Applegates and find out!"

"Right!" Frank quickly returned the contents to the bag and slung it over his shoulder. He climbed the ladder after Joe, but waited for Joe to get to the ground before dropping the bag into his arms and climbing down. When Frank reached the bottom, the two high-fived. "We did it!"

"Yes you did." The boys turned, and found themselves facing a gun, held by none other than Klein Connors. "Neat trick you pulled on me and Red that day, claiming to be the Mason boys, and we fell for it hook, line, and sinker."

Joe grinned nervously. "Yeah, sorry about that. Guess it won't work twice, huh?"

Klein scoffed and shook his head. "Nope, I'm not that stupid. But I'll cut a deal with you."

Frank and Joe glanced at each other. "What's the deal?"

"I'll let you live and let you keep half the treasure, you can return it if you want, if you get me out of Bayport. No one would question Fenton Hardy's sons."

"And if we don't?"

Klein shrugged. "I'll kill you, take your car and the loot, and get out of here."

"Or," said Joe, puffing out his chest, "you could turn yourself in, make a confession, and get a deal." Klein did not notice that the boys were relaxing and seemed to sometimes be looking at something behind him.

"Listen," growled Klein, "I'm the one with the gun, I make the deals!"

"Well, that's funny." Klein's eyes widened. "Wonder what five guns mean?" He turned around, Collig, Reilly, Franklin, and two State Police officers had their guns aimed at him. Fenton Hardy had his arms crossed and was glaring at Klein. Though he did turn that glare on Frank and Joe a couple of times. "Drop the gun," ordered Collig. Klein dropped the gun and raised his hands. "Klein Connors, you're under arrest." Collig snapped handcuffs on him. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, the court will assign you one."

Fenton stepped towards his sons.

"Well, um, we found it!" said Joe, taking the bag from Frank and showing it off.

"I see," said Fenton. "Good job. Just, next time, tell me where you're going."

"Yes sir," mumbled the boys.

"So, how did you get here so soon this time?" asked Joe.

"Chet told me," said Fenton as the three walked back to the car. "I called Collig so I could get a ride since you took our car." The boys grinned sheepishly as Fenton unlocked said car. "And he decided on bringing Reilly, Franklin, and the two State officers."

"Good old Chet!" said Joe.

"Yes, doing the one thing my sons didn't." He got behind the wheel and started up the car. "If you two are going to pursue this seriously, you are going to need to think about having back-up before rushing into dangerous situations."

"Yes sir."

"I'll let it pass this time since this is your first official mystery. Just consider this your first warning."

"Yes sir!" chroused the boys, a little more cheerily.

"Now, contact Slim and have him start spreading the good news."

As soon as the message that the Appegate treasure had been found, the Applegates immediately invited everyone to a grand party in celebration. Everyone pretty much went straight away from the graduation to the Tower Mansion. LAura and Gertrude got a ride with Jack Wayne. Frank and Joe handed over the treasure to Hurd and Adelia the instance they arrived at the Tower Mansion.

"Yay! Frank and Joe are heroes!" chroused Slim's twin sisters before the two hugged Frank and Joe.

"Three cheers for the Hardy boys!" shouted Biff. Everyone cheered and applauded. Frank and Joe felt embarrassed yet pleased by the praise.

"If it wasn't for our Dad's expertise, we might not have been able to make it," said Joe.

Fenton chuckled as he hugged Joe. "And if it weren't for my family, I wouldn't have been rescued." He winked. "I guess we're even, for now." They laughed.

Later that night, the boys tumbled into bed. The party was a blast, and Hurd surprised them with giving them each a thousand dollars as a reward for finding the treasure and helping their father take a dangerous gang off the streets. Adelia surprised them with blankets, one of which Joe recognised as the blanket she had been working on when they had found the wigs. But the cool thing about these blankets was the fact that they had several hidden pockets. Joe grinned as he knew of a few things Frank would put in his blanket. He then sat up in bed and gasped.

Frank sat up, concerned. "What? What is it? Did we forget something?"

"We didn't get a chance to talk to Nancy!"

Frank blushed. "Oh, oh, um, we'll call her first thing in the morning."

Joe grinned as he laid back down. "Well, Chet did predict we might have it solved by the time we do, right?"

"Mm, yeah."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Well, with Grandma Dottie and Grandpa Willie coming in July . . ."

"Oh, that's right, you wanted to spend the entire summer with Nancy," cooed Joe with a sly grin.

Frank's blush grew redder. "Joe!"

Joe chuckled. "I know, I know." He became quiet for a bit. "So you're thinking of surprising her next year?"

"It might be best, I mean . . . I kind of want to solve more mysteries."

Joe nodded. "Yeah, I do too. I wonder how soon we'll get another?"

"I don't know, hopefully soon." Unknown to Frank and Joe, the next mystery would be arriving soon, practically right around the corner. But in that moment, the boys planned on setting apart some time for the following year to make a trip out to River Heights, maybe even with their entire family. Helping rescue her husband seemed to put a gleam in their mother's eyes, a gleam they hadn't seen since before they heard of Mrs. Drew's death. Maybe, just maybe, another year was needed before Laura, Carson, and Nancy could talk to each other about Catherine. So maybe waiting another year was the best way to go. In the meantime, they planned on what to get Nancy for her birthday, and continued to talk about that until they fell asleep.

First thing the following morning, they called using what they termed "Pen Pal Phone". But Nancy didn't answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Hannah? This is Frank and Joe Hardy," said Frank.

"Hi Frank! Joe! How are you two doing?"

"We're doing awesome!" blurted Joe. "And we want to tell Nancy all about it!"

"Well, I'm afraid she's not in right now. She's out running some errands for her father and I'm not expecting her back until late this afternoon, almost dinner time."

"Aw! Darn it!" said Joe.

Hannah laughed. "Shall I take a message for her?"

"Yes! She has to call us back ASAP! It's urgent!"

"Joe!" hissed Frank.

Hannah laughed. "Alright, I'll be sure to let her know."

Frank rolled his eyes but chorused with Joe, "Thanks Hannah!"

"No problem! You have a wonderful day!" She hung up.

"Ugh, now what?"

Frank slowly grinned. "We could go around town, looking for a new mystery. Summer vacation has officially started."

Joe grinned. "You're on!" He jumped up and raced towards the door. "First one who finds a mystery gets to tell Nancy you have a crush on her!"

Frank fell out of his chair with a yelp. "No!" He dashed off after the laughing Joe, both eager to really get their detective business underway. Especially now having had their first taste of it, they were sure they wanted to continue.

(Thank you all so much for reading this! I really appreciate you taking some time out of your day to read and comment! Nancy Drew will return October 1st, hopefully, provided this next chapter decides to cooperate with me, lol. But that's not the important announcement. No, the important announcement is, be on the lookout for the next installment in the Hardy Boys series rewrites come January/February! And possibly the beginning of the Red Randall series. It will all depend on how things go in November and December. But I can definitely say The Secret of the Old Mill will begin in January! look forward to seeing you all again then! If you're only sticking to the Hardy boys. If you're reading Nancy Drew as well, I'll see you in a few days!)


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